“Do not be frightened, little Daisie. I am Dallas Bain, you know, and I am taking you home because you fainted.”
“Yes, I remember now. I fell from my wheel—your horse knocked me down!” She shuddered; and then, looking up into his face, Dallas saw her blush as she felt herself in his arms. “I—oh, I can sit up!” she murmured; but the effort made her moan with pain, and he said, with gentle authority:
“Lie still, child, for you are hurt, you know, and must not move.”
CHAPTER III.
THE SPELL OF LOVE.
Daisie was certainly suffering severely, but it was balm for her pain to see the eyes of Dallas Bain rest on her with such tenderness, and though she was thrillingly conscious that his arms held her more tightly than was necessary, even in her weakness, she did not rebel; the sensation gave her a happiness that she had never known before.
Directly they reached the house and found that Annette had the doctor waiting, they carried her tenderly in, and Dallas waited on the porch with an anxious heart for the verdict.
“The accident was all my fault, and every pang of her suffering wrings my heart!” he groaned to himself.
Soon the warm-hearted little Annette put an end to his suspense by running downstairs to tell him that Daisie had no serious injuries. The cut on her brow was superficial; she had some bruises and a sprained ankle, that was all. She would have to keep quiet on a sofa for a few days, then she would be all right again.
What a light of joy flashed into those dark eyes of Dallas Bain at the joyful tidings, as he cried:
“Ah, how happy you make me, for if she had been seriously hurt I never could have forgiven myself for the carelessness that made such an accident possible. Will you tell her for me that I will call to-morrow morning to ask her forgiveness?”