suffer them to lay me down, I also knew at the time. But, above all, I knew that there was constant tendency in all these people - who, when I was very ill, would present all kinds of extraordinary transformations of the human face, and would be much dilated in size - above all, I say, I knew that there was an extraordinary tendency in all these people, sooner or later to settle down into the likeness of Joe.

After I had turned the worst point of my illness, I began to notice that while all its other features changed, this one consistent feature did not change. Whoever came about me, still settled down into Joe. I opened my eyes in the night, and I saw in the great chair at the bedside, Joe. I opened my eyes in the day, and, sitting on the window-seat, smoking his pipe in the shaded open window, still I saw Joe. I asked for cooling drink, and the dear hand that gave it me was Joe's. I sank back on my pillow after drinking, and the face that looked so hopefully and tenderly upon me was the face of Joe.

At last, one day, I took courage, and said, `Is it Joe?'

And the dear old home-voice answered, `Which it air, old chap.'

`O Joe, you break my heart! Look angry at me, Joe. Strike me, Joe. Tell me of my ingratitude. Don't be so good to me!'

For, Joe had actually laid his head down on the pillow at my side and put his arm round my neck, in his joy that I knew him.

`Which dear old Pip, old chap,' said Joe, `you and me was ever friends. And when you're well enough to go out for a ride - what larks!'

After which, Joe withdrew to the window, and stood with his back towards me, wiping his eyes. And as my extreme weakness prevented me from getting up and going to him, I lay there, penitently whispering, `O God bless him! O God bless this gentle Christian man!'

Joe's eyes were red when I next found him beside me; but, I was holding his hand, and we both felt happy.

`How long, dear Joe?'

`Which you meantersay, Pip, how long have your illness lasted, dear old chap?'

`Yes, Joe.'

`It's the end of May, Pip. To-morrow is the first of June.'

`And have you been here all the time, dear Joe?'

`Pretty nigh, old chap. For, as I says to Biddy when the news of your being ill were brought by letter, which it were brought by the post and being formerly single he is now married though underpaid for a deal of walking and shoe-leather, but wealth were not a object on his part, and marriage were the great wish of his hart--'

`It is so delightful to hear you, Joe! But I interrupt you in what you said to Biddy.'

`Which it were,' said Joe, `that how you might be amongst strangers, and that how you and me having been ever friends, a wisit at such a moment might not prove unacceptabobble. And Biddy, her word were, "Go to him, without loss of time." That,' said Joe, summing up with his judicial air, `were the word of Biddy. "Go to him," Biddy say, "without loss of time." In short, I shouldn't greatly deceive you,' Joe added, after a little grave reflection, `if I represented to you that the word of that young woman were, "without a minute's loss of time."'