In the afternoon Alice went into the sick-room for a chat, while her mother went out for a little walk in the fresh, crisp air.
She told her father of how the silken comfort had been planned and made, and Captain Gordon, after a long pause, turned to her with what seemed to Alice the most beautiful expression she had ever seen on his face, and said, "Bring it to me, daughter."
She brought it forth and held it out to him that he might smooth its folds and look again at its rosy color.
"Spread it over me, dear, and let it cover me—as long as I need it."
And it covered him for the six weeks that it was needed, when it was replaced with a coverlet of roses and lilies provided by the same loving hands.