"I shan't tell you anything, just yet," said the man in black firmly. "Just go to sleep again, and don't worry. Here. Take this," and he placed a little medicine-glass to my parched lips. The effect of the drug was sleep--a long sleep it must have been--for when I again awoke it was night, and I saw a stout, middle-aged night-nurse seated at my side, reading beneath a green-shaded lamp. As soon as she noticed me moving she gave me another draught, and then, thoroughly revived, I inquired of her what had actually happened. I saw her motion to some one behind her, and next moment found Roseye bending over me, pale-faced and anxious. "Oh! I'm so glad, dear," she whispered eagerly into my ear. "Once we thought you would never recover, and--and I've been watching and waiting all the time. They wouldn't let me see you until to-night. Teddy has been here constantly, and he only left at midnight." "But--darling--but what has happened?" I managed to ask, looking up into those dear eyes of hers utterly amazed. "May I tell him, nurse?" she inquired, turning to the buxom woman beside her. The nurse nodded assent, whereupon she said: "Well--you've had a nasty spill! One of your wings suddenly buckled-- and you fell. It's a perfect miracle that you were not killed. I saw the accident just as I was going up in a spiral, and came down again as fast as ever I could. When I reached you, I found you pinned beneath the engine, and everybody believed you to be stone-dead. But, happily, they got you out--and brought you here." "What is this place?" I asked, gazing around in wonderment. "Where am I?" "The Hendon Cottage Hospital," was her reply. "How long have I been here?" "Four days. The papers have had a lot about your accident." "The papers make a lot of ado about nothing," I replied, smiling. "To them, every airman who happens to have a nose-dive is a hero. But how did it happen?" "Nobody knows. You seemed to be ascending all right, when suddenly I saw your right-hand plane collapse, and you came down plumb," she said. "As you may imagine, darling, I rushed back, fearing the worst, and through these four awful days I have dreaded that you might never speak to me again." "What does Theed say?" "What can he say? He has declared that before you started everything was perfectly in order." "Has Teddy examined the bus?" "I think so, but he's entirely mystified--just as we all are," said my well-beloved. "Dad and mother are dreadfully worried about you." "Thanks," I replied. "I'll be all right soon--but I'm stiff--jolly stiff, I can tell you!" "That doesn't matter," said the nurse cheerily. "No bones are broken, and Doctor Walford has said that you'll be up again very soon." "Well--thanks for that," I replied with a smile. "My chief desire at the present moment is to know why my machine failed. Yet I suppose I ought to be thankful to Providence that I wasn't killed--eh?"