I would not see even a negro turned out in the coldest of winters for no better reason than that he was sick and useless, though I planned to intervene delicately, so as not to affront my neighbor.

For my heart was still hers, despite this hardness, for which I saw that she must not be blamed.
As I had feared, Clem's cough became more obtrusive, and with this Miss Caroline's irritation deepened toward him.

She declared that his trifling, no-account nature made him all but impossible.
Then one morning--one to be distinguished by its cold even among many unusual mornings--there was no Clem to light my fires and to scent my snug dining room with unparalleled coffee.

This brought it definitely home to me that the situation had become grave.

I dressed with what speed I could and hurried to Miss Caroline's door.