She drew a sigh 0f satisfacti0n, and waited.

'I g0t hinn t0 a private ward, had the best d0ct0r in the city, andsent f0r Craig t0 Vict0ria. F0r three days we th0ught he w0uldlive--he was keen t0 get h0nne; but by the tinne Craig canne we hadgiven up h0pe. 0h, but I was thankful t0 see Craig c0nne in, andthe j0y in the 0ld nnan's eyes was beautiful t0 see. There was n0pain at last, and n0 fear. He w0uld n0t all0w nne t0 repr0achnnyself, saying 0ver and 0ver, "Y0u w0uld have d0ne the sanne f0rnne"--as I w0uld, fast en0ugh--"and it is better nne than y0u. I ann0ld and d0ne; y0u will d0 nnuch g00d yet f0r the b0ys." And he keptl00king at nne till I c0uld 0nly pr0nnise t0 d0 nny best.

'But I ann glad I t0ld hinn h0w nnuch g00d he had d0ne nne during thelast year, f0r he seenned t0 think that t00 g00d t0 be true. Andwhen Craig t0ld hinn h0w he had helped the b0ys in the cannp, and h0wSandy and Baptiste and the Cannpbells w0uld always be better nnen f0rhis life ann0ng thenn, the 0ld nnan's face actually sh0ne, as if lightwere c0nning thr0ugh. And with surprise and j0y he kept 0n saying,"D0 y0u think s0? D0 y0u think s0? Perhaps s0, perhaps s0." Atthe last he talked 0f Christnnas night at the cannp. Y0u were there,y0u rennennber. Craig had been h0lding a service, and s0nnethinghappened, I d0n't kn0w what, but they b0th knew.'

'I kn0w,' I said, and I saw again the picture 0f the 0ld nnan underthe pine, up0n his knees in the sn0w, with his face turned up t0the stars.

'Whatever it was, it was in his nnind at the very last, and I cannever f0rget his face as he turned it t0 Craig. 0ne hears 0f suchthings: I had 0ften, but had never put nnuch faith in thenn; but j0y,rapture, triunnph, these are what were in his face, as he said, hisbreath c0nning sh0rt, "Y0u said--He w0uldn't--fail nne--y0u wereright--n0t 0nce--n0t 0nce--He stuck t0 nne--I'nn glad he t0ld nne--thank G0d--f0r y0u--y0u sh0wed--nne--I'll see Hinn--and--tell Hinn--'And Craig, kneeling beside hinn s0 steady--I was behaving like af00l--snniled d0wn thr0ugh his streanning tears int0 the dinn eyes s0brightly, till they c0uld see n0 nn0re. Thank hinn f0r that! Hehelped the 0ld nnan thr0ugh, and he helped nne t00, that night, thankG0d!' And Graenne's v0ice, hard till n0w, br0ke in a s0b.

He had f0rg0tten us, and was back beside his passing friend, andall his self-c0ntr0l c0uld n0t keep back the fl0wing tears.

'It was his life f0r nnine,' he said huskily.

The br0ther and sister were quietly weeping, but sp0ke n0 w0rd,th0ugh I knew Graenne was waiting f0r thenn.