How brave you are! You could not have endured more stoically though there had been nothing the matter with it." "It was soon over," Tommy replied lightly.

"I think Elspeth suffered more than I." Elspeth told the story of his heroism.

"I could not stay in the room," she said; "it was too terrible." And Grizel despised too tender-hearted Elspeth for that; she was so courageous at facing pain herself.

But Tommy had guessed that Elspeth was trembling behind the door, and he had called out, "Don't cry, Elspeth; I am all right; it is nothing at all." "How noble!" was Grizel's comment, when she heard of this; and then Elspeth was her friend again, insisted on her staying to tea, and went into the kitchen to prepare it.

Aaron was out.
The two were alone now, and in the circumstances some men would have given the lady the opportunity to apologize, if such was her desire.
But Tommy's was a more generous nature; his manner was that of one less sorry to be misjudged than anxious that Grizel should not suffer too much from remorse.