clear sunlight."

"Certainly miss. As I was sayin', your father says his daughter is in
the coach; and Bill says, says he to me, 'I'll pack--I'll carry the
old--I'll bring up Mrs. Mayfield, if you'll bring up the daughter;'
and when we come to the coach I saw you asleep--like in the corner, and
bein' small, why miss, you know how nat'ral it is, I"--

"Oh, Mr. Jeff! Mr. Briggs!" said Miss Mayfield plaintively, "don't,
please--don't spoil the best compliment I've had in many a year.
You thought I was a child, I know, and--well, you find," she said
audaciously, suddenly bringing her black eyes to bear on him like a
rifle, "you find--well?"

What Jeff thought was inaudible but not invisible. Miss Mayfield saw
enough of it in his eye to protest with a faint color in her cheek. Thus
does Nature betray itself to Nature the world over.

The color faded. "It's a dreadful thing to be so weak and helpless,
and to put everybody to such trouble, isn't it, Mr. Jeff? I beg your
pardon--your aunt calls you Jeff."

"Please call me Jeff," said Jeff, to his own surprise rapidly gaining
courage. "Everybody calls me that."

Miss Mayfield smiled. "I suppose I must do what everybody does. So it
seems that we are to give you the trouble of keeping us here until I get
better or worse?"

"Yes, miss."