were pictured, however, there came several breaks in the reading; and had
any keenly observant person been watching Miss Durant, he would have
noticed that these pauses invariably happened whenever some one entered
the ward.

It was made evident to her that she and Swot gave value to entirely
different parts of her message to the doctor; for, no sooner did she reach
the waif's bedside the next morning than the invalid announced,--

"Say, Ise done my best to jolly de doc, but he stuck to it dat youse
oughtn't to guv me no pistol."

"Didn't you tell him what I asked you to say?" demanded Constance,
anxiously.

"Soytenly. Ise says to 'im dat youse wanted to know wot he tought, an' he
went back on me. Ise didn't tink he'd trun me down like dat!"

"I might better have written him," murmured Miss Durant, thoughtfully. She
sat for some time silently pondering, till the waif asked,--

"Say, youse goin' to guv me dat present just de same, oin't youse?"

"Yes, I'll give you a present," acceded the girl, opening the book. "I
think, Swot," she continued, "that we'll have to trouble Dr. Armstrong for
another Old Sleuth, as we shall probably finish this to-day. And tell him
this time it is my turn to pay for it," From her purse she produced a
dime, started to give it to the boy, hastily drew back her hand, and
replacing the coin, substituted for it a dollar bill. Then she began
reading rapidly--so rapidly that the end of the story was attained some