"Oh, Dr. Clendenin, there's a mad cat in the house, and Miss Nell's trying to kill it!" cried the two women and Flora in chorus; but the words were scarcely uttered before he had dashed in at the open door. His heart leaped into his throat at sight of the prostrate form on the confused heap of bedding, the body of the strangled cat so near that the toe of her slipper touched it. "Oh, my darling!" he exclaimed in low, moved tones as he sprang to her side. Then in almost frantic haste he searched for the marks of the creature's teeth on her hands and arms. There were none. He tore off her shoes and stockings, his hands trembling, his face pale with a terrible fear. "Thank God!" he said at last, drawing a long breath of relief. He knelt down, loosened her dress, laid her more comfortably, her head lower, doing all with exceeding tenderness, and turning to Mrs. Nash, who had ventured in after him, leaving her little ones in Mrs. Barbour's care, said huskily: "Some cold water! quick! quick! She has fainted." "Oh, doctor, is she hurt?" asked the woman in tremulous tones, as she hastily handed him a gourd filled with water from the well bucket. He did not answer for a moment. He was sprinkling the water upon the still, white face, his own nearly as colorless. Would she never revive? those sweet eyes never open again? Ah, the lids began to quiver, a faint tinge of rose stole into the fair, softly rounded cheek. "I hope not," he said with an effort. "It was the fright probably. A fan, please." Mrs. Nash brought one and gave it in silence. Nell's eyes opened wide, gazing full into his. The faint tinge on her cheek deepened instantly to crimson, and starting up in confusion, she hastily stammered out some incoherent words, and burst into tears. "Lie still for a little, Nell," Kenneth said, gently forcing her back. Never were tones more musical with tenderness, never had eyes spoken a plainer language, and the girl's heart thrilled with a new, ecstatic joy. For years her hard but determined task had been to school it to indifference; but now, now she might let it have its way. He, so noble, so good, would never deceive her, never wrong her. "Oh, Nell, you are not hurt? not bitten?" exclaimed Mrs. Nash almost imploringly. "Hurt? bitten?" repeated Nell, in a half bewildered way. Then as her eye fell upon the dead cat and the whole scene came back to her with a rush, "No, no," she said, shuddering and hiding her face in her hands; "it sprang at me, but missed and fell back on the floor, and at last it ran its head into the noose, jerked away and strangled, and"--laughing hysterically--"I don't know what happened after that." Mrs. Nash knelt down by her side and began putting on her stockings and shoes.