“He has been trying to persuade me to—­to go away with him ever since I came here,” Sadie resumed, and evidently determined to keep nothing back; “and to-day he came upon me suddenly while you were away, and he wasn’t very kind”—­her lips quivered painfully over those last words; “but,” she presently went on, “since I have been here many things have begun to seem different to me, and I had made up my mind to go back to school and do my very best next year; but if Ned is going to keep on bothering me like this, I shall be wretched.”

“If he comes again I think we will have to let papa deal with him,” said Katherine, gravely.

“Oh!  I wouldn’t have your father or mother know anything about it for the world,” cried Sadie, in distress.  “I begin to feel ashamed of the whole affair myself, and I would not marry him on the sly now for anything.  But he claims that I am pledged to him, and says he will make trouble for me if I try to dodge him,” and the girl nervously twisted a diamond ring; which she wore on the first finger of her left hand.

“There is nothing to prevent you from releasing yourself from any such rash pledge if you choose to do so,” said Katharine.  Then she asked:  “Is that your engagement ring, dear?”

“Yes; but I haven’t dared to wear it on the right finger, for I didn’t want anyone to know,” she admitted, with a blush of shame.

Katherine leaned forward and smiled fondly into her eyes.

“You understand, I am sure, that I do not wish to meddle in an affair of this kind; but if you will allow me.  I would advise you to return that ring at once.  Tell Mr. Willard that you revoke your promise to him, and that henceforth he is to leave you unmolested.  Think it over, Sadie, and I am sure your own good judgment will tell you this would be the wiser course.  Now I will leave you to take your nap, for I think you need it,” and, kissing her softly, she left the room.

The next morning a great burden rolled from her heart when she saw Sadie hand the postman a letter and a small package on which there was a special delivery stamp, and she earnestly hoped that this step in the right direction would forever end the disagreeable affair.

The following day the Seabrooks arrived, and our “brown-eyed lassie” was very happy to have so many of her school friends around her; but it was impossible not to see how pale and worn Mrs. Seabrook looked, and that Dorrie had failed not a little.

After a few days, however, the child appeared to improve a trifle, and everybody else began to look refreshed and hopeful once more.  Dr. Stanley devoted the greater portion of his time to her, and she was never so happy as when he wheeled her to some point where she could have an unobstructed view of the ocean and watch the foam-crested waves as they broke upon the rocks on the shore.

At times, when she was sleeping or being cared for by the ever-faithful Alice, the physician and his sister might have been found at the Minturn home, where many a pleasant hour was spent on its broad verandas, and where the subject of Christian Science was often the theme of conversation, and Mrs. Minturn was plied with numerous questions by Miss Reynolds and the doctor also.