Zay thought it rather late, but her brother overruled and they had a merry time, but it was midnight before they returned. Major Crawford and his wife often had their breakfast in the dainty sitting room up stairs. Zay just glanced in to bid them good-morning as Willard was impatiently calling her down. She had not slept very well and had a headache, and she would not go out for a walk with him. She heard her father reading the paper aloud, so she went to her room and dropped on the bed again. Her throat began to feel sore and swollen. When she heard the doctor's voice in the hall she leaned over the banister and said: "Dr. Kendricks will you come up here a minute or two?" "Yes, yes, what now? Did you feast too high yesterday?" "I don't know. I feel sick all over. First I'm all of a shiver and then so hot and my head aches." "Well, we must inquire into it. Yes, you are flushed and getting excited. I think it is a feverish cold and some indigestion. We'll soon fix that all right. Luckily I brought my medicine chest along," and he laughed. "Doctor, you don't think--are there any more cases of scarlet fever?" and her voice was tremulous. "Scarlet fever! Don't get any such nonsense in your curly pate. No, there's not another case and the little girl is recovering rapidly. Why you've not been even exposed to it and yours is just a cold. Now, alternate with these and I'll be in again this afternoon. But, I'd stay in bed and rest." She slipped into a soft white wrapper, and Katy came in to straighten up her room. "You were out late last night, Miss Zay and you've caught a cold." "But, I so rarely have a cold." "It sounds in your voice. Keep wrapped up good and warm. There's nothing like heat to drive out those pernickety colds and I wish you'd drink some hot water." "I'll see by and by." She turned her hot throbbing temple over on the pillow. If only she could shut out the sight and the smell of the clairvoyant's room, and that boy grasping for breath. It must have been something awful for them both to die almost together and be shut up at once in their coffins; and then a horror seized her. She had always been so well and joyous. Oh, what if she should die? It would kill her mother. Girls were more to their mothers; business called so many of the boys away. She began to cry. The doctor and her father went down stairs. She thought her mother would come in and tried to calm the sort of hysterical mood. What _were_ they talking about so long? Was she worse than the doctor had admitted? She heard her father's voice rise as if in a passion which his visitor seemed trying to subdue. Oh, what _had_ happened? Her mother entered the room very pale and with frightened eyes.