and danced about the hall as blithely as any one of her pupils. Those days were over--for ever over; she would never again know the joy of any rapid, exhilarating motion. She lifted her hand to wipe away a tear, hoping to escape observation the while, but, to her dismay, Harold stood by her side, and his eyes met hers with an expression of pained understanding. Any reference to her infirmity seemed to distress him so acutely that the first instinct was to comfort him instead of herself, and she smiled through her tears, saying in the sweetest tones of her always sweet voice: "Don't, please! Don't look so sorry! It was babyish of me, but just for one moment--I was so fond of dancing, you know, and I had never realised before--" "Just so. You realise fresh losses every day. I know what you must feel. You have not been babyish at all, but most brave and heroic." Evie sighed. "It's nice to be praised, but I feel as if I don't deserve it. I am not in the least brave at heart... Sometimes I almost dread getting strong, for then I shall have to face so much... I'm conceited, too, for I hate the idea of limping, and being stiff and ungraceful. I thought I did not care for appearance, but I did--oh, a great deal! It is a humiliating discovery, and I am trying hard to cure myself, but pride dies slowly! There was a girl at school who was lame. I used to be so sorry for her, and yet, compared with other misfortunes, it is a very little thing. I can still move about and use my faculties. It is not so bad, after all!" "Yes," said Harold, unexpectedly. "It _is_ very bad. It is a mistake to pretend to yourself that it is only a small trial, for it's not true, and the pretence is sure to break down some day, and leave you where you were. It is a great affliction for people to be crippled, even when they are old and have lost their energy; but for a girl like you it is ten times worse. Don't be too hard on yourself, and expect resignation to come all at once. I believe the best plan is to face it fully, and to say to yourself, `It's a big test--one of the biggest I could have to bear. I shall feel the pinch not to-day only, but to-morrow, and the next year, and as long as I live. It is going to take a big effort to save myself from growing bitter and discouraged, but it's worth fighting, for my whole life hangs on the result. If I can succeed--if I can rise above infirmity, and keep a bright, uncomplaining spirit'--" He broke off suddenly, and Evie breathed a quick "Yes, yes, I know! I feel that too. Thank you so much. It is good to talk to someone who understands. It helps me on." "Don't thank me. It is like my presumption to venture to preach to you. But you have helped me so much that when I saw you in trouble I could not be silent. I was obliged to do what I could."