professional whine. "I gif you twenty." And above that sum Lyddy could not move him. But she would not decide then and there. She felt that she must see her father, and consult with 'Phemie, and possibly talk to Aunt Jane, too. "You come here to-morrow morning and I'll tell you," she said, finally. She locked the flat again and followed the man down the long flights to the street. It was not far to the hospital and Lyddy did not arrive there much before the visitors' hour. The house physician called her into his office before she went up to the ward in which her father had been placed. Already she was assured that he was comfortable, so the keenness of her anxiety was allayed. "What are your circumstances, Miss Bray?" demanded the medical head of the hospital, bluntly. "I mean your financial circumstances?" "We--we are poor, sir. And we were burned out last night, and have no insurance. I do not know what we really shall do--yet." "You are the house-mother--eh?" he demanded. "I am the oldest. There are only Euphemia and me, beside poor papa----" "Well, it's regarding your father I must speak. He's in a bad way. We can do him little good here, save that he will rest and have nourishing food. But if he goes back to work again----" "I know it's bad for him!" cried Lyddy, with clasped hands. "But what can we do? He _will_ crawl out to the shop as long as they will let him come----" "He'll not crawl out for a couple of weeks--I'll see to that," said the doctor, grimly. "He'll stay here. But beyond that time I cannot promise. Our public wards are very crowded, and of course, you have no relatives, nor friends, able to furnish a private room----""Oh, no, sir!" gasped Lyddy. "Nor is _that_ the best for him. He ought to be out of the city altogether--country air and food--mountain air especially----"
"Hillcrest!" exclaimed Lyddy, aloud. "What's that?" the doctor snapped at her, quickly. She told him about the farm--where it was, and all. "That's a good place for him," replied the physician, coolly. "It's three or four hundred feet higher above sea-level than the city. It will do him more good to live in that air than a ton of medicine. And he can go in two weeks, or so. Good-morning, Miss Bray," and the busy doctor hurried away to his multitude of duties, having disposed of Mr. Bray's case on the instant. CHAPTER IV THE PILGRIMAGE Lydia Bray was shocked indeed when they allowed her in the ward to see her father. A nurse had drawn a screen about the bed, and nodded to her encouragingly. The pallor of Mr. Bray's countenance, as he lay there with his eyes closed, unaware of her presence, frightened the girl. She had never seen him utterly helpless before. He had managed to get around every day, even if sometimes he could not go to work. But now the forces of his 

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