"What are you doing here?" said the astonished Dutchman. "Look and see, Mr. Van Brunt," said Nancy, with a smile of mischief's own curling; "you won't be long finding out, I guess." "Take yourself off, and don't let me hear of your being caught here again." "I'll go when I'm ready, thank you," said Nancy; "and as to the rest I haven't been caught the first time yet; I don't know what you mean." She sprang as she finished her sentence, for Mr. Van Brunt made a sudden movement to catch her then and there. He was foiled, and then began a running chase round the room, in the course of which Nancy dodged, pushed, and sprang with the power of squeezing by impassables and overleaping impossibilities, that, to say the least of it, was remarkable. The room was too small for her, and she was caught at last. "I vow," said Mr. Van Brunt, as he pinioned her hands, "I should like to see you play blind-man's-buff for once, if I waren't the blind man." "How'd you see me if you was?" said Nancy scornfully. "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 are 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 almost 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 now 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 am 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.