one to you, but I have my reasons."

Nick looked at him for a moment, a quick gleam of comprehension behind
his flickering eyelids. "It won't hurt you to take Mitchel, Olga _mia_,"
he said.

"Oh, Nick!" There was deep reproach in Olga's voice, and at sound of it
Max smiled with dry humour.

Nick laughed outright, openly heartless. "My beloved chicken, who is
making mountains out of molehills now? I would escort you myself if I
hadn't got to attend this committee meeting in town,--a million plagues
upon it! Come along and open my letters for me! We are wasting time."

"I do think you needn't take his part," said Olga, as Max disappeared
into the surgery. "He's quite bullying and tyrannical enough without
that."

"I'm inclined to sympathize with the young man myself," said Nick. "He
wouldn't bully you if you weren't so nasty."

"Nick, I'm not nasty!"

"I should detest you if I were Max," said Nick, squeezing her
affectionately with his one wiry arm.

"It isn't my fault we are antipathetic," protested Olga. "For goodness'
sake, Nick, don't start liking him! But I'm sure you don't in your heart
of hearts. You simply couldn't."

"Why not?" said Nick.

"Oh, Nick, you don't! You know you don't! He's so cold-blooded and
cynical."

"Do you want to know what he was up to last night?" said Nick.

"Yes, tell me!" said Olga.

"He was sent for last thing by some people who live in that filthy
alley--near the green pond. A child was choking. They thought it had
swallowed a pin. When he got there, he found it was diphtheria at its
most advanced stage. The child was at death's door. He had to perform an
operation at a moment's notice, hadn't got the proper paraphernalia with
him, and sucked the poison out himself."

"Good heavens, Nick!" said Olga, turning very white. "And the child?"

"The child is better. It is to be taken to the hospital to-day."

"Will it--won't it--have an effect on him?" gasped Olga.

"Heavens knows," said Nick.

"And that's why he didn't come down to breakfast," she said. "How did
you find out about it? He didn't tell you?"

"He couldn't help it," said Nick. "He stole my bath this morning, and
when I arrived he was lying in it face downwards boiling himself in some
filthy disinfectant that made the bathroom temporarily uninhabitable.
Naturally I lodged a complaint, and finally got at the whole story. By
the way, he said I wasn' to tell you; but I told him I probably should.
That's only a