"brother alec, you surely don't mean to allow that child to go outsuch a bitter cold day as this," said mrs. myra, looking into thestudy, where the doctor sat reading his paper, one februarymorning.

"why not? if a delicate invalid like yourself can bear it, surely myhearty girl can, especially as she is dressed for cold weather,"answered dr. alec with provoking confidence.

"but you have no idea how sharp the wind is. i am chilled to thevery marrow of my bones," answered aunt myra, chafing the endof her purple nose with her sombre glove.

"i don't doubt it, ma'am, if you will wear crape and silk instead offur and flannel. rosy goes out in all weathers, and will be none theworse for an hour's brisk skating.""well, i warn you that you are trifling with the child's health, anddepending too much on the seeming improvement she has madethis year. she is a delicate creature for all that, and will drop awaysuddenly at the first serious attack, as her poor mother did,"croaked aunt myra, with a despondent wag of the big bonnet.

"i'll risk it," answered dr. alec, knitting his brows, as he alwaysdid when any allusion was made to that other rose.

"mark my words, you will repent it," and with that awful prophecy,aunt myra departed like a black shadow.

now it must be confessed that among the doctor's failings and hehad his share was a very masculine dislike of advice which wasthrust upon him unasked. he always listened with respect to thegreat-aunts, and often consulted mrs. jessie; but the other threeladies tried his patience sorely, by constant warnings, complaintsand counsels. aunt myra was an especial trial, and he alwaysturned contrary the moment she began to talk. he could not help it,and often laughed about it with comic frankness. here now was asample of it, for he had just been thinking that rose had betterdefer her run till the wind went down and the sun was warmer. butaunt myra spoke, and he could not resist the temptation to makelight of her advice, and let rose brave the cold. he had no fear ofits harming her, for she went out every day, and it was a greatsatisfaction to him to see her run down the avenue a minuteafterward, with her skates on her arm, looking like a rosy-facedesquimaux in her seal-skin suit, as she smiled at aunt myrastalking along as solemnly as a crow.

"i hope the child won't stay out long, for this wind is enough tochill the marrow in younger bones than myra's," thought dr. alec,half an hour later, as he drove toward the city to see the fewpatients he had consented to take for old acquaintance' sake.

the thought returned several times that morning, for it was truly abitter day, and, in spite of his bear-skin coat, the doctor shivered.

but he had great faith in rose's good sense, and it never occurredto him that she was making a little casabianca of herself, with thedifference of freezing instead of burning at her post.

you see, mac had made an appointment to meet her at a certainspot, and have a grand skating bout as soon as the few lessons hewas allowed were over. she had promised to wait for him, and didso with a faithfulness that cost her dear, because mac forgot hisappointment when the lessons were done, and became absorbed ina chemical experiment, till a general combustion of gases drovehim out of his laboratory. then he suddenly remembered rose,and would gladly have hurried away to her, but his mother forbadehis going out, for the sharp wind would hurt his eyes.

"she will wait and wait, mother, for she always keeps her word,and i told her to hold on till i came," explained mac, with visionsof a shivering little figure watching on the windy hill-top.

"of course, your uncle won't let her go out such a day as this. if hedoes, she will have the sense to come here for you, or to go homeagain when you don't appear," said aunt jane, returning to her"watts on the mind.""i wish steve would just cut up and see if she's there, since i can'tgo," began mac, anxiously.

"steve won't stir a peg, thank you. he's got his own toes to thawout, and wants his dinner," answered dandy, just in from school,and wrestling impatiently with his boots.

so mac resigned himself, and rose waited dutifully tilldinner-time assured her that her waiting was in vain. she had doneher best to keep warm, had skated till she was tired and hot, thenstood watching others till she was chilled; tried to get up a glowagain by trotting up and down the road, but failed to do so, andfinally cuddled disconsolately under a pine-tree to wait and watch.

when she at length started for home, she was benumbed with cold,and could hardly make her way against the wind that buffeted thefrost-bitten rose most unmercifully.

dr. alec was basking in the warmth of the study fire, after hisdrive, when the sound of a stifled sob made him hurry to the doorand look anxiously into the hall. rose lay in a shivering bunchnear the register, with her things half off, wringing her hands, andtrying not to cry with the pain returning warmth brought to herhalf-frozen fingers.

"my darling, what is it?" and uncle alec had her in his arms in aminute.

"mac didn't come i can't get warm the fire makes me ache!" andwith a long shiver rose burst out crying, while her teeth chattered,and her poor little nose was so blue, it made one's heart ache to seeit.

in less time than it takes to tell it, dr. alec had her on the sofarolled up in the bear-skin coat, with phebe rubbing her cold feetwhile he rubbed the aching hands, and aunt plenty made acomfortable hot drink, and aunt peace sent down her ownfoot-warmer and embroidered blanket "for the dear."full of remorseful tenderness, uncle alec worked over his newpatient till she declared she was all right again. he would not lether get up to dinner, but fed her himself, and then forgot his ownwhile he sat watching her fall into a drowse, for aunt plenty'scordial made her sleepy.

she lay so several hours for the drowse deepened into a heavysleep, and uncle alec, still at his post, saw with growing anxietythat a feverish colour began to burn in her cheeks, that herbreathing was quick and uneven, and now and then she gave alittle moan, as if in pain. suddenly she woke up with a start, andseeing aunt plenty bending over her, put out her arms like a sickchild, saying wearily"please, could i go to bed?""the best place for you, deary. take her right up, alec; i've got thehot water ready, and after a nice bath, she shall have a cup of mysage tea, and be rolled up in blankets to sleep off her cold,"answered the old lady, cheerily, as she bustled away to give orders.

"are you in pain, darling?" asked uncle alec, as he carried her up.

"my side aches when i breathe, and i feel stiff and queer; but itisn't bad, so don't be troubled, uncle," whispered rose, with a littlehot hand against his cheek.

but the poor doctor did look troubled, and had cause to do so, forjust then rose tried to laugh at dolly charging into the room with awarming-pan, but could not, for the sharp pain took her breathaway and made her cry out.

"pleurisy," sighed aunt plenty, from the depths of the bath-tub.

"pewmonia!" groaned dolly, burrowing among the bedclothes withthe long-handled pan, as if bent on fishing up that treacherousdisease.

"oh, is it bad?" asked phebe, nearly dropping a pail of hot water inher dismay, for she knew nothing of sickness, and dolly'ssuggestion had a peculiarly dreadful sound to her.

"hush!" ordered the doctor, in a tone that silenced all furtherpredictions, and made everyone work with a will.

"make her as comfortable as you can, and when she is in her littlebed i'll come and say good-night," he added, when the bath wasready and the blankets browning nicely before the fire.

then he went away to talk quite cheerfully to aunt peace about itsbeing "only a chill"; after which he tramped up and down the hall,pulling his beard and knitting his brows, sure signs of great inwardperturbation.

"i thought it would be too good luck to get through the yearwithout a downfall. confound my perversity! why couldn't i takemyra's advice and keep rose at home. it's not fair that the poorchild should suffer for my sinful over-confidence. she shall notsuffer for it! pneumonia, indeed! i defy it," and he shook his fist inthe ugly face of an indian idol that happened to be before him, asif that particularly hideous god had some spite against his ownlittle goddess.

in spite of his defiance his heart sunk when he saw rose again, forthe pain was worse, and the bath and blankets, the warming-panand piping-hot sage tea, were all in vain. for several hours therewas no rest for the poor child, and all manner of gloomyforebodings haunted the minds of those who hovered about herwith faces full of the tenderest anxiety.

in the midst of the worst paroxysm charlie came to leave amessage from his mother, and was met by phebe comingdespondently downstairs with a mustard plaster that had broughtno relief.

"what the dickens is the matter? you look as dismal as atombstone," he said, as she held up her hand to stop his livelywhistling.

"miss rose is dreadful sick.""the deuce she is!""don't swear, mr. charlie; she really is, and it's mr. mac's fault,"and phebe told the sad tale in a few sharp words, for she felt at warwith the entire race of boys at that moment.

"i'll give it to him, make your mind easy about that," said charlie,with an ominous doubling up of his fist. "but rose isn'tdangerously ill, is she?" he added anxiously, as aunt plenty wasseen to trot across the upper hall, shaking a bottle violently as shewent.

"oh, but she is though. the doctor don't say much, but he don'tcall it a 'chill' any more. it's 'pleurisy' now, and i'm so afraid it willbe pewmonia to-morrow," answered phebe, with a despairingglance at the plaster.

charlie exploded into a stifled laugh at the new pronunciation ofpneumonia, to phebe's great indignation.

"how can you have the heart to do it, and she in such horrid pain?

hark to that, and then laugh if you darst," she said with a tragicgesture, and her black eyes full of fire.

charlie listened and heard little moans that went to his heart andmade his face as sober as phebe's. "o uncle, please stop the pain,and let me rest a minute! don't tell the boys i wasn't brave. i try tobear it, but it's so sharp i can't help crying."neither could charlie, when he heard the broken voice say that;but, boy-like, he wouldn't own it, and said pettishly, as he rubbedhis sleeve across his eyes"don't hold that confounded thing right under my nose; themustard makes my eyes smart.""don't see how it can, when it hasn't any more strength in it thanmeal. the doctor said so, and i'm going to get some better," beganphebe, not a bit ashamed of the great tears that were bedewing thecondemned plaster.

"i'll go!" and charlie was off like a shot, glad of an excuse to getout of sight for a few minutes.

when he came back all inconvenient emotion had been disposedof, and, having delivered a box of the hottest mustard procurablefor money, he departed to "blow up" mac, that being his next dutyin his opinion. he did it so energetically and thoroughly that thepoor worm was cast into the depths of remorseful despair, andwent to bed that evening feeling that he was an outcast fromamong men, and bore the mark of cain upon his brow.

thanks to the skill of the doctor, and the devotion of his helpers,rose grew easier about midnight, and all hoped that the worst wasover. phebe was making tea by the study fire, for the doctor hadforgotten to eat and drink since rose was ill, and aunt plentyinsisted on his having a "good cordial dish of tea" after hisexertions. a tap on the window startled phebe, and, looking up,she saw a face peering in. she was not afraid, for a second lookshowed her that it was neither ghost nor burglar, but mac, lookingpale and wild in the wintry moonlight.

"come and let a fellow in," he said in a low tone, and when hestood in the hall he clutched phebe's arm, whispering gruffly,"how is rose?""thanks be to goodness, she's better," answered phebe, with asmile that was like broad sunshine to the poor lad's anxious heart.

"and she will be all right again to-morrow?""oh, dear no! dolly says she's sure to have rheumatic fever, if shedon't have noo-monia!" answered phebe, careful to pronounce theword rightly this time.

down went mac's face, and remorse began to gnaw at him again ashe gave a great sigh and said doubtfully"i suppose i couldn't see her?""of course not at this time of night, when we want her to go tosleep!"mac opened his mouth to say something more, when a sneezecame upon him unawares, and a loud "ah rash hoo!" awoke theechoes of the quiet house.

"why didn't you stop it?" said phebe reproachfully. "i dare sayyou've waked her up.""didn't know it was coming. just my luck!" groaned mac, turningto go before his unfortunate presence did more harm.

but a voice from the stair-head called softly, "mac, come up; rosewants to see you."up he went, and found his uncle waiting for him.

"what brings you here at this hour, my boy?" asked the doctor in awhisper.

"charlie said it was all my fault, and if she died i'd killed her. icouldn't sleep, so i came to see how she was, and no one knows itbut steve," he said with such a troubled face and voice that thedoctor had not the heart to blame him.

before he could say anything more a feeble voice called "mac!"and with a hasty "stay a minute just to please her, and then slipaway, for i want her to sleep," the doctor led him into the room.

the face on the pillow looked very pale and childish, and the smilethat welcomed mac was very faint, for rose was spent with pain,yet could not rest till she had said a word of comfort to her cousin.

"i knew your funny sneeze, and i guessed that you came to see howi did, though it is very late. don't be worried, i'm better now, and itis my fault i was ill, not yours; for i needn't have been so silly as towait in the cold just because i said i would."mac hastened to explain, to load himself with reproaches, and tobeg her not to die on any account, for charlie's lecture had made adeep impression on the poor boy's mind.

"i didn't know there was any danger of my dying," and rose lookedup at him with a solemn expression in her great eyes.

"oh, i hope not; but people do sometimes go suddenly, you know,and i couldn't rest till i'd asked you to forgive me," faltered mac,thinking that rose looked very like an angel already, with thegolden hair loose on the pillow, and the meekness of suffering onher little white face.

"i don't think i shall die; uncle won't let me; but if i do, remember iforgave you."she looked at him with a tender light in her eyes, and, seeing howpathetic his dumb grief was, she added softly, drawing his headdown, "i wouldn't kiss you under the mistletoe, but i will now, for iwant you to be sure i do forgive and love you just the same."that quite upset poor mac; he could only murmur his thanks andget out of the room as fast as possible, to grope his way to thecouch at the far end of the hall, and lie there till he fell asleep,worn out with trying not to "make a baby" of himself.