“For her?”

“For me as much,” returned Dora simply.  “It is so pleasant to be able to do something again!”

“You miss your wounded and invalid soldiers, and find it very dull here,” said Karl quickly, as he glanced sharply into the open face of the young girl.

“Hush, Karl! don’t talk now:  it will disturb her.  Is tea ready?”

“Yes, and Kitty sent word for you to come.  Run along, and I will stay with the chick till you come back.”

“No:  I can’t leave her yet.  You go to supper, and perhaps, when you are done, I will leave you with her; or Kitty can stay, and I will clear away.”

“Won’t you let me stay now?” asked the young man hesitatingly.

“No.  Here, take the bowl, and run along.”

“‘Just as you say, not as I like,’ I suppose,” said Karl, laughing; and, taking the bowl, he went softly out.

“Now, little girl, you feel better, don’t you?” asked Dora cheerily, as she laid the heavy head back upon the pillow, and tenderly smoothed away the tangled hair.

“Si, signora,” murmured Giovanni’s pupil.

“What’s that?  I don’t know what you mean.  Say it again, won’t you?”

But the child only fixed her dreamy eyes upon the face of the questioner, with no effort at reply; and then the lids began slowly to close.

“Now, before you go to sleep, Sunshine, I am going to take you up stairs, and put you in my own bed, because I sha’n’t want to leave you alone to-night; and no one sleeps here.  Wait till I fold this shawl round you, and then pull your arms about my neck.  There:  now we’ll go.”

She lifted the child as she spoke, and carried her again into the front entry, and up the square staircase to a cottage-chamber with white, scoured floor, common pine furniture, the cheapest of white earthern toilet-sets, and nothing of expense or luxury to be found within its four whitewashed walls, and yet a room that gave one a feeling of satisfaction and peace not always inhabiting far wider and more costly chambers:  for the little bed was artistically composed, and covered with snow-white dimity, as was the table between the windows, and the cushion of the wooden rocking-chair; while curtains of the same material, escaped from their tri-colored fastenings, floated in upon the soft breeze like great sails, or the draperies of twilight spirits departing before mortal presence.

In the fireplace stood a large pitcher, filled with common flowers, fresh and odorous; and upon the high mantle-shelf, and all around the room, was disposed a collection of the oddest ornaments that ever decked a young girl’s sleeping-chamber.  Among them we will but pause to mention two muskets, the one bent, the other splintered at the stock; four swords, each more or less disabled; an officer’s sash; three sets of shoulder-straps; a string of army-buttons, each with a name written upon a strip of paper, and tied to the eye; two or three dozen bone rings, of