"Rich as Croesus, my dear child," he responded, with a laugh.

She blushed still more deeply.

"Then, have you--have you any money with you, Mr. Wordley? I mean quite

a large sum of money?" "Not a very large sum, my dear," he replied,

rather puzzled. "About twenty or thirty pounds, perhaps."

Ida's face fell.

"Oh, that is not nearly enough," she murmured.

"Eh?" he asked. "But I've got my cheque-book with me. How much do you

want? And, forgive me, my dear Miss Ida, but may I ask what you want it

for?"

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"Can I have a cheque for five hundred pounds?" Ida asked, timidly.

"Five thousand, fifty thousand, my dear!" he responded, promptly, and

with no little pride and satisfaction.

"Five hundred will do--for the present," she said a little nervously.

"Perhaps the porter will let you draw it out."

Still puzzled, Mr. Wordley went into the porter's box and took out his

cheque-book.

"Make it payable to the hospital--and give it to me, please," said Ida,

in a low voice.

The old man's face cleared, and he nodded.

"Of course, of course! God bless you, my dear! I might have known what

was in that good, grateful heart of yours. See here, I've made it out

for a thousand pounds. That's five hundred for you and five hundred for

me--and don't you say a word to stop me; for I'm only too grateful for

the idea. It will cool me down; and upon my word, I feel so excited, so

above and beyond myself that I want some safety-valve like this, or I

should fall to dancing in the hall and so disgrace myself and the noble

profession to which I belong."

With the folded cheque in her hand Ida took him up the many stone steps

to the Alexandra ward. The gentle-eyed sister, who had parted from her

so reluctantly, was naturally surprised to see her return so soon, and

accompanied by a fatherly and prosperous old gentleman, who kept close

to her as if he were afraid she might be spirited from him.

"I have come back to--to say good-bye again, sister," said Ida, her

voice faltering a little, but her eyes beaming as they had not beamed

for many a day; "and I want to give you something, something for the

hospital--it is from my dear friend here, Mr. Wordley, who has just

found me. And I want you not to open it until we have gone--say, for

half an hour. And I am going to write to you as I promised; and you can

write to me if you will be so kind; for I can give you the address now.

It is on the back of the cheque."




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