Her eyes were red as if she had been weeping lately, and she made a few hurried steps toward the couch, and then turned angrily upon the nurse, as a hand was laid upon her arm. "How dare you?" she cried. "I must and I will speak to papa." "I dare," said Nurse Elisia, smiling, "because he must not be awakened suddenly." "You always say that," cried Isabel; but she lowered her voice. "I must--I will speak to him now." "Hush, my child!" whispered Nurse Elisia; "you are angry and hysterical from some trouble. Do not blame me, dear. You know it is my duty to watch over him and save him from every shock." "But you try to keep us apart. You try to be mistress here in everything. You try to--" "No, no, no," said Nurse Elisia gently, as she passed her arm about the excited girl's waist, and drew her toward the other door, while Isabel struggled to free herself, but only faintly, and as if a stronger will was mastering hers. "Come with me to my room," was whispered in her ear, and then, sobbing weakly, she suffered herself to be led through the other door into the little place devoted to the nurse, where she sank into an easy-chair, covered her face with her hands, and sobbed as if her heart would break. Nurse Elisia stood gazing down at her pityingly for a few moments, and then sank upon her knees and drew the half resisting little figure toward her, as it was evident that poor Isabel was fighting hard to keep from bursting out into a paroxysm of hysterical cries. "My poor motherless child!" she whispered; "what have I done that you should insist upon treating me as your enemy?" "Always--if I wish to go to papa--" panted Isabel with childish vehemence. "No, no, no, my darling," whispered the nurse, as if she were trying to soothe some passionate child. "If you think a moment you will see that I only obey my orders. It is to give him perfect rest that nature may strengthen and restore him to you, his child. Come, come, tell me--what is the great trouble? You cannot understand, but I want to be your friend." "You--you!" cried Isabel, looking up angrily, as she wrested herself away, and her eyes flashed; but as she gazed on the patient face so close to hers, and saw that the beautiful eyes which looked pityingly in hers were also clouded with tears, her mood changed, and she flung her arms about the nurse's neck, and buried her face in her breast. "I am so wretched--so unhappy!" she cried. "Yes, yes, as if I could not see and feel it," whispered Elisia. "There, there," she continued, as she drew the yielding form closer to her breast, and smoothed and caressed the soft, fair hair, till Isabel's sobs grew fewer, and she looked up half wonderingly, and then clung to her more tightly as Elisia bent down and kissed her lovingly. "There," she whispered, "was that the kiss of an enemy?" "No, no, no," cried Isabel. "I did not mean it. I tried not to say it, but you seem to--seem to--oh, pray don't think of what I said!"