sense of touch, too, had captured the beauty of her hand, and held it
in remembrance--the soft palm, the fine skin, supple fingers, smooth
nails, and firm round wrist. These charms would never have been
noted by any seeing man in Edgewood, but they were revealed to
Anthony Croft while Lyddy, like the good Samaritan, bound up his
wounds. It is these saving stars that light the eternal darkness of
the blind.

Lyddy thought she had met her Waterloo when, with arms akimbo, she
gazed about the Croft establishment, which was a scene of desolation
for the moment. Anthony's cousin from Bridgton was in the habit of
visiting him every two months for a solemn house-cleaning, and Mrs.
Buck from Pleasant River came every Saturday and Monday for baking
and washing. Between times Davy and his uncle did the housework
together; and although it was respectably done, there was no pink-
and-white daintiness about it, you may be sure.

Lyddy came out to the apple-trees in about an hour, laughing
nervously as she said, "I'm sorry to have taken a mean advantage of
you, Mr. Croft, but I know everything you have in your house, and
exactly where it is. I couldn't help it, you see, when I was making
things tidy. It would do you good to look at the boy. His room was
too light, and the flies were devouring him. I swept him and dusted
him, put on clean sheets and pillow-slips, sponged him with bay rum,
brushed his hair, drove out the flies, and tacked a green curtain up
to the window. Fifteen minutes after he was sleeping like a kitten.
He has a sore throat and considerable fever. Could you--can you--at
least, will you, go up to my house on an errand?"

"Certainly I can. I know it inside and out as well as my own."