Are you much hurt?" and Will laid his hand tenderly on her head. She
winced, for he had touched a bruised place.

"Don't worry," she said, as brightly as she could. "I am all right,
and the papers may be found. It is poor little Dodo I feel so badly
about. She-- she may be a cripple, the doctor says."

"No!" exclaimed Will, aghast.

"It seems terrible, but that is his opinion."

"Oh, they can do such wonderful things in surgery now a-days," said
Mrs. Ford, "that I'm sure, in such a young child, there are many
chances in her favor. Don't worry, daughter dear. Now you must go to
bed, or you will be ill over this. Those motorists ought to be
punished, if any one is."

"Yes," agreed Mr. Ford. "Now I must see what I can do to offset this
loss. You don't suppose, do you Grace, that those men could have had
any object in getting those papers away from you?"

"What do you mean?" asked Grace, in wonderment.

"I mean, did they seem to follow you-- as if they had knowledge that
the papers would be transferred to-day, and were determined to get
them?"

"I don't think so, Daddy. I'm sure they didn't follow me. They just
seemed to come out of the storm-- trying to get away from it-- as I
was doing. I'm sure it was all an accident-- just carelessness.