watch of this
house."

"_Wicked men?_" Her mother suddenly straightened.

"Kidnapers."

This innocent statement had an unexpected effect. Again her father began
to stride up and down angrily, while her mother, head drooping once
more, began to weep.

"Oh, mother didn't know!" she sobbed. "Mother didn't guess what
terrible things were happening! Oh, forgive her! Forgive her!"

The Doctor came to her side. "Too much excitement for the patient," he
reminded her. "Don't you think you'd better go and lie down for a while,
and have a little rest?"

A startled look. And Gwendolyn put out a staying hand to her mother.
Then--"Moth-er _is_ tired," she assented. "She's tireder than I am.
'Cause it was hard work going round and round Robin Hood's Barn."

The Doctor hunted a small wrist and felt the pulse in it. "That's all
right," he said to her mother in an undertone. "Everything's still
pretty real to her, you see. But her pulse is normal," He laid cool
fingers across her forehead. "Temperature's almost normal too."

Gwendolyn felt that she had not made herself altogether clear. She
hastened to explain. "I mean," she said, "when moth-er was carrying that
society bee in her bonnet."

Confusion showed in the Doctor's quick glance from parent to parent.
Then, "I think I'll just drop down into the pantry," he said hastily,
"and see how that young nurse from over yonder is getting along." He
jerked a thumb in the direction of the side window as he went out.

Gwendolyn wondered just who the young nurse was. She opened her lips to
ask; then saw how painfully her mother had colored at the mere mention
of the person in question, and so kept silence.

The Doctor gone, her father came to her mother's side and patted a
shoulder. "Well, we shan't ever say anything more about that bee," he
declared, laughing, yet serious enough. "_Shall_ we, Gwendolyn!"

"No." She blinked, puzzling over it a little.

"There! It's settled." He bent and kissed his wife. "You thought you
were doing the best thing for our little girl--_I_ know that, dear. You
had her future in mind. And it's natural--and _right_--for a mother to
think of making friends--the right kind, too--and a place in the social
world for her daughter. And I've been short-sighted, and neglectful,
and--"

"Ah!" She raised wet eyes to him. "You had your worries. You were doing
_more_ than your share. You had to meet the question of money. While
I--"

He interrupted her. "We _