“Thank you, Mr. Decies,” she murmured, in a pathetically weak voice. “I am going to be a frightful nuisance to you. In future, I shall try to arrange to be shot in my own bedroom.” She closed her eyes again, wearily, and dropped her hand upon the coverlet. Sir Frank beckoned to me to step aside. I did so. O’Shea drew nearer. “I have come to thank you, Nanette,” he said. He sat on the chair beside her, bending forward. Slowly, she turned her head, raised weary lids again, and looked at him. She stayed so for what seemed a very long time; just looking--looking--and questioning. He stooped nearer and nearer, until suddenly, but very weakly, a white arm crept around his neck and little trembling fingers were plunged into his hair. Nanette drew his head down upon the pillow beside her, sighed, and closed her eyes again happily. I turned away, staring at her mother. Then I caught Sir Frank’s glance. He began to tiptoe toward the door, nodded significantly to the nurse--and shepherded us out of the sick room! The last to leave, I looked back, guiltily, for one moment. Nanette was fast asleep, for they had given her an opiate. And she lay with her head nestling upon O’Shea’s shoulder. I shall always remember her smile. THE END TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES Minor spelling inconsistencies (e.g. lounge-chair/lounge chair, shore-signal/shore signal, etc.) have been preserved. Alterations to the text: Abandon the use of drop-caps. Punctuation: fix a few quotation mark pairings/nestings. [Chapter IV] Change (“Please, _mumsy_,” she pleaded--“until I have) to _Mumsy_. [Chapter XXIV] “He is a member of a very _dangerout_ organization” to _dangerous_. [Chapter XXVIII] “There was no one on the stairs, and no one. in the long, glazed” delete the period. [End of text]