"Now, Miss Ellen," said Mr. Van Brunt, as he brought her to Ellen's bedside, "here she is safe; what shall I do with her?" "If you will only send her away, and not let her come back, Mr. Van Brunt," said Ellen, "I'll be so much obliged to you!" "Let me go!" said Nancy; "I declare you're a real mean Dutchman, Mr. Van Brunt." He took both her hands in one, and laid the other lightly over her ears. "I'll let you go," said he. "Now, don't you be caught here again, if you know what is good for yourself." He saw Miss Nancy out of the door, and then came back to Ellen, who was crying heartily again from nervous vexation. "She's gone," said he. "What has that wicked thing been doing, Miss Ellen? what's the matter with you?" "Oh, Mr. Van Brunt," said Ellen, "you can't think how she has worried me; she has been here this great while; just look at all my things on the floor, and that isn't the half." Mr. Van Brunt gave a long whistle as his eye surveyed the tokens of Miss Nancy's mischief-making, over and through which both she and himself had been chasing at full speed, making the state of matters rather worse than it was before. "I do say," said he, slowly, "that is too bad. I'd fix them up again for you, Miss Ellen, if I knew how; but my hands are a'most as clumsy as my feet, and I see the marks of them there; it's too bad, I declare; I didn't know what I was going on." "Never mind, Mr. Van Brunt," said Ellen, — "I don't mind what you have done, a bit. I'm so glad to see you!" She put out her little hand to him as she spoke. He took it in his own, silently; but, though he said and showed nothing of it, Ellen's look and tone of affection thrilled his heart with pleasure. "How do you do?" said he, kindly. "I'm a great deal better," said Ellen. "Sit down, won't you, Mr. Van Brunt? I want to see you a little." Horses wouldn't have drawn him away after that. He sat down. "Ain't you going to be up again some of these days?" said he. "Oh yes, I hope so," said Ellen, sighing; "I am very tired of lying here." He looked round the room; got up and mended the fire, then came and sat down again. "I was up yesterday for a minute," said Ellen; "but the chair tired me so, I was glad to get back to bed again." It was no wonder; harder and straighter-backed chairs never were invented. Probably Mr. Van Brunt thought so. "Wouldn't you like to have a rocking cheer?" said he, suddenly, as if a bright thought had struck him. "Oh yes, how much I should!" said Ellen, with another long- drawn breath; "but there isn't such a thing in the house, that ever I saw." "Ay, but there is in other houses, though," said Mr. Van Brunt, with as near an approach to a smile as his lips commonly made; "we'll see!" Ellen smiled more broadly. "But don't you give yourself any trouble for me," said she. "Trouble, indeed!" said Mr. Van Brunt; "I don't know anything about that. How came that wicked thing up here to plague you?"