For a brief space of time Winslow gazed at Marie, and then broke out, astonishment written in his face:

"What, Marie! Then we have both changed."

Her look was equally one of surprise and pain as she took his extended hand, and she was powerless to utter a word.

She was spared further embarrassment, however, by Pierre, who said:

"Marie, put Mr. Winslow's room to rights. We have been waiting for you."

Marie, glad to escape, hurried away.

From that moment a new light came into the life of Marie. New and pleasant duties became hers. Miss Gaston, who heard from her a few days after Winslow's arrival, realized the change in her friend. She wisely concluded not to go to Pierre Island that year, or at least till she was sure her coming would not be the cause of any break in the new condition of affairs. She had her own history to make, and yet her own happiness did not prevent her entering into the lives of her friends.

As the days went by, Marie became more and more a revelation to Winslow. After the fatigue of his journey, and the long and tedious road to Pierre Island, he did not realize fully what the extent of the development was that had taken place in Marie. He saw it more and more as the time passed and his keener perceptions renewed their activity.

So Winslow saw only Pierre and his family about him. It was some days before he could walk to the beach, although his strength came back with every breath of the Fundy air and the pure sunshine of the late summer days. Marie from the first was installed as nurse and companion. As an associate she was in a very short time as necessary as she had at first been as a nurse. In this way Winslow came to know the woman better than he had known the girl, every day disclosing some quality of her beautiful nature. At last he found that his years spent in the Yukon were of the greatest value in his life. They led to his present position, which any other course would have lost to him.

One day he said to Pierre:

"What has become of Len's boat?"

"The poor fellow got into a rage one day, during a talk with me. It was in the height of summer, and the dread of the curse was breaking him down. He suddenly left me and hurried away to his boat, which was lying on the beach out of the tide. I saw him go aboard of her, and very soon smoke rose from the little cabin. I suspected what he intended to do when he left me, and went after him, but too late to prevent him setting the fire, which soon spread over the whole boat from the cabin. Len stood by, looking on without a word or movement, till the coming tide washed over the remains of the Marie. He then went away, and I did not see him for weeks, nor did I know where he had gone."

"You wrote to me that he had fallen a victim to the water curse, as the other members of the family had before him."

"Yes, poor boy. He often told me that he did not believe he would be afflicted, as his father was not so bad with it as his grandfather."

"Len was a strange character to me," said Winslow. "There was at times a mad look in his eyes. I think it must be a form of insanity, perhaps a mild type of mental derangement."

"It came on like a fever, and seemed to affect his mind."

"Was it a sudden fever, or did it gradually affect him?" asked Winslow.

"The thirst came with awful suddenness," the old man replied; "but leading up to that time for weeks and months he was a changed man. It was a sad thing to see him avoiding everybody but me, and moving about as if followed by something he did not see, but feared at every step."

"Was there an accompanying sickness of any kind?"

"No, not that we could detect. At the last he remained with us till the worst came."

"Marie was away?"

"Yes, and we did all we could for him. Nothing gave him ease of mind. At last, on the day when he came of age, we were in the house. Len was never quiet. For days he did not rest, and I think he got very little sleep, for I often heard him pacing the house or passing out of doors. Several times I followed him to the cliffs, fearing he might do violence to himself. For during those last days his life must have been very hard to bear. Yet he had no idea of committing suicide. Surely Len's suffering was enough to atone for any act committed by any ancestor of his."

"Len was a very intelligent fellow. Perhaps this had much to do with making his dread of the curse greater than it would have otherwise been?"

"Perhaps you are right. His wealth gave him a different standing in the community, and his love for Marie also made him look upon the coming of the curse with hatred. At last the time came. He was exhausted with expectation and with the sleepless wandering of many days and nights. He could not stand, but sat with a ghastly face and rolling eyes as the moment came. The time passed. I saw the nervous twitching of his mouth and the clenching of his hands. Several minutes passed, and he began to struggle as one in a fit. He started from his chair, only to fall back again like a corpse. He slipped to the floor, beating with his hands the mat on which he lay; then with a terrible cry he was on his feet again, and seizing me by the arm, he cried:

"'Pierre! Pierre! the curse is upon me! The curse is mine! I am dying of thirst.'

"Rushing to the kitchen, he seized a large tin of water, and carrying it to his lips, he began to drink eagerly. I thought he would kill himself, for he took every drop, except what he spilled in his madness to drink and satisfy his terrible thirst.

"Strange to say, he calmed down, and burying his face in his hands, he wept, a broken-spirited man."

"You think it changed him?"

"He was from that moment another man. A more hopeless and afflicted looking man you could not easily find. I feared insanity before the curse worked its worst upon him. I do not know what the effect of the fatal thirst will finally be, but if he does not lose his reason entirely, he will kill himself. Poor boy, poor boy!" murmured the old man.

"It seems to me a wonderful case, and impossible to understand. Has he been under any treatment?"

"He spent some time with two eminent physicians who were interested in his case, but they failed to help him in any way, and did not seem to understand the affliction at all. He is away now. It unfits him sadly for any occupation, and his easy means of living permits him too much time to brood over his condition."

"He has ceased expecting any hope from Marie, then?"

"He no longer speaks of her. He does not even mention your name now. He is dead to his old life, old in his youth, and with no desire in life but to be cured of his insatiable thirst. That is the only hope left to him."

Winslow was much impressed by Pierre's account of Len's trouble, and while they were speaking Marie appeared, coming towards them. He at once left the old man, who looked after him with a kindly look of affection in his eyes.

"You are late, nurse," said Winslow, as he came near her. "Your father has been able to tell me all about Len while I have been waiting for you."

"Suzanne needed my help, and could not wait. I knew the patient could," said Marie, laughing, "especially if he had pÈre to talk to."

So they both walked away from the old man, who still gazed after them. His heart was with them as their forms gradually became smaller with the increasing distance.

We cannot go with Marie and Winslow very far in their walk. They talked a great deal about Len, and Marie spoke of him with sorrow, and heard of his great trouble with tears. They had been friends in their younger days, and of late years had been separated completely, while his case seemed to her so sad she turned away for a moment to hide her tears from her companion.

Winslow looked at her as she turned away, and suddenly he stepped close to her and spoke words that quickly gushed from his heart. She was startled and turned about to face him, her eyes now uncovered and moist with tears. There she stood without a word, and he came even nearer, looking into the eyes that did not fall from his own. He saw a fresh flow of tears as her look fell away at last, and from the sight of his happy eyes she hid the new glory which came into hers.