But happy and generous Nina was not content to enjoy her happiness and affluence alone, while those noble friends, who had done so much for her, were fighting the battle of adversity, although its horrors were softened by the sweetness of true and faithful love. She knew that Doctor Fielding, both in her sickness and in her after imprisonment, had been compelled to lose much time from his practice in order to attend to her, and she was determined that he should not suffer for his kindness. So it was barely a week after Nina’s opportune rescue that Minnie Fielding, looking out of her window one morning at the sound of wheels, saw a dainty equipage pausing at her door, out of which stepped a lovely vision in rich blue silk, with streaming azure ribbons and creamy laces, her gold curls falling beneath a broad hat covered with azure plumes. The large dark eyes were laughing with delight as they were lifted to Minnie at the window. “Come down!” she called, in her tender, musical voice, that had such a note of happiness in it that it thrilled Minnie’s heart in unison. “It is Nina--oh, how lovely she is in her new found happiness,” she exclaimed, hastening down to meet her. They were soon seated in the neat little parlor, with the baby, Nina’s pretty little namesake, playing on the floor beside them. “Oh, my darling girl, how beautiful and happy you look!” cried Mrs. Fielding, gazing in irrepressible admiration at the charming face, that with its radiant eyes and dimpling smiles and rose flushed cheeks did not look much like the marble-pale one in the prison cell a week ago. She was a perfect picture of grace and beauty and happiness now. A pensive shade drifted for a moment over Nina’s fair young face. “I _am_ happy,” she said, softly. “As happy as I was wretched a week ago, and I cannot express my happiness in stronger terms than that.” And a moment later she added: “And only think that but for Doctor Fielding I might have been dead by my own hand and never have lived to know that Talbot loved me, and that after my terrible trial a long future of love and happiness lay before me. You must not be jealous, dear, when I tell you that next to my own husband I shall always love Doctor Fielding better than any other man on the earth because I owe him so much.” The sweet little lady only laughed at this impulsive outburst from her beloved pupil. “You may love my dear old darling as much as you please. I shall not be jealous,” she said, brightly. And then suddenly a graver look overspread Nina’s sparkling face. “Mrs. Fielding, you know I made my will the 24th of July,” she said, repressing a slight shiver. “Yes, dear,” Mrs. Fielding answered. “And I left you ten thousand dollars,” she said. “No!” exclaimed Mrs. Fielding. “Yes,” Nina answered with a smile, “I left legacies to a number of my kind friends and the bulk of my great fortune to my husband.”