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"It's rather bad, thank you, my dear" Even in the midst of her tribulation Cherry strove heroically for her own gracious tone, and the faely pathetic to-day "But you'll send it quite 'on't you?"

"Yes I send away all pains," returned Anstice, lying nobly "But first of all you must let me see just what sort of pain this one is, and then I shall kno to get rid of it You don'tyou, do you?"

"N-not much, my dear" Cherry's lips quivered, and Chloe Carstairs turned away as though unable to bear the sight of her little daughter's suffering any longer

Quickly and tenderly Anstice s than was absolutely necessary; and by dint of questioning Mrs Carstairs found that the child's brow had been badly scorched where her brown curls had caught fire, and that one little arrievous burn These were the only outward signs of the accident, but the child had undergone a severe shock; and Anstice felt a suddenas he looked at the pinched little face, and noted the renewal of the pitiful ether repress

The woround while he bent over the bed; and now, at a sign from him, she came forward silently

"Just look after the child a moment or till you?" he said "Mrs Carstairs, may I have a ith you? Oh, don't be alarmed--I only want to hear a little more about the affair"

Tochatti shot a quick look at him from her beady black eyes; and Anstice was momentarily puzzled by her curious expression She looked alh she resented his presence--and yet she should have welco that he was there to do his best for the child she adored But as she moved to the side of the bed, and took Cherry's unhurt hand in her own brown fingers with a touch of almost maternal tenderness, he told himself impatiently that he was fanciful; and turned to Mrs Carstairs with a resolute movement

"Will you come into my room, Dr Anstice?" Chloe's spacious bedroohter's pink and white nest; and as Anstice followed her she pulled the door to with a nervous action curiously unlike herself

"Dr Anstice, will she die?" Her lips were ashy, and in her white face only the sapphire eyes seeive Tochatti--never!"