“Your friends who have to get to Albion,” she murmured; “I’m afraid they’ll lose their train.”

“By Jove!” he cried, sitting up suddenly. “I’d clean forgotten them!”

“You were fooling me!” she exclaimed, as she started to rise.

With a groan he fell back. The crimson, oozing from his wound, ran down across his temple, and in another moment she was again checking the flow with her handkerchief. His eyes were closed, and she imagined he had fainted.

“Oh, dear!” She seemed distraught. “I don’t know what to do! I’ve got to get help, but if I leave you, you may bleed to death.”

“Don’t let me bleed to death,” he begged faintly. “Don’t leave me—Bessie. You mustn’t leave me—as long as I live.”

It seemed a great effort for him to lift his eyelids, but he looked at her again, and the appeal in his eyes filled her with a feeling of desperation.

“You must have a doctor.”

“You’re the only doctor I want. You’re the only doctor who can cure me. If you throw up the case and turn me over to a common pill slinger, I’ll never get over it.”

“But I’ve simply got to get help for you somehow. I’ll hurry.”

“I can’t let you go. I’m an awful coward, you know, and——”

“You’re nothing of the sort! I’ve never seen anybody as brave as you are.”

A tremor ran over his body. At first she thought it was a convulsive movement of pain, but when it continued she was overcome by the astounding conviction that he was laughing. Astonishment gave place to outraged indignation. There was no mistaking the fact that he was really shaking with laughter that he sought in vain to suppress. She leaped up, letting him drop back, and stood rigid, filled with intense resentment.

“You—you’re making sport of me!” she said, in a low voice that suddenly had in it something like icy brittleness. “You’ve been playing on my sympathy! You’re not really hurt—much. It was a very ungentlemanly thing to do! I hope you have enjoyed yourself!”

He sat up without much effort. “I give you my word of honor that I didn’t mean to laugh at you. Perhaps my head is affected a little. This crack on the bean must be the cause. It really was some bump.”

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