Beckoning to Rosa, he made way for her to enter the narrow aisle of number seven, but he nearly fell over the man across the bed, when Rosa, with a shriek, fell upon the body of number seven, crying: 

“O, my darling, my darling, I have found you!”

It would have required the eyes of maternal love of Rosa’s to recognize our jaunty Dick in the emaciated, fleshless face that lay imbedded in the disarray of the cot.  Dick’s blue eyes were sunken and dim, his lips chalky and parched.  He made no sign of recognition when Rosa drew back with her arm under his head to scrutinize the disease-worn face.

“Sometimes, miss, he is in his right mind—­but he goes off again like this.  Is the other man his brother?  They seem to understand each other when they are at the worst.  Once when we separated them they fought like maniacs until we were forced to let them be near again.”

“Oh, yes—­the other.”  Rosa started and hastened to the next cot.  Yes, it was Jack—­or a piteous ghost of him.  He was sleeping, and she withdrew gently.

“Please distribute the contents of the basket to the men I named.  I will be back presently.”

With this she darted out, running at the top of her speed, heedless even of the peremptory challenge of the sentries, who thought her mad or stricken with the plague, and made no attempt to molest her.  She ran straight to Jones’s quarters.  He was writing, and started in surprise as she entered panting and breathless.

“Ah!  I have found them; I have found them!” She could say no more.  Jones helped her to a seat and held a glass of water to her lips.  Then she regained breath.

“They are in the small-pox ward, but they haven’t the disease.  Ah! they are there, they are there.  Come at once and take them away.  Ah! take them away this minute.”

“By ‘they’ do you mean Perley and Sprague?” Jones asked, breathlessly.

“Yes, ah, yes.  Thank God! thank God!  Ah!  I could say prayers from now until my dying day.  But, oh, Mr. Jones, do, do hurry; because they may die if we do not get them away from that dreadful pest-house.”

“It will take some time to get the order for the removal.  Meanwhile, they will need good nursing.  If you hope to help them you must be calm; you must keep well.  Now go to your brother.  It is just as well that Miss Sprague went away this morning.  Before she comes back, her brother will be in a place she can visit with safety.  You can not go back there.  You must remain patient now until I get them away from that dangerous place.”