must think you're crazy."

"I wish you wouldn't be so critical, son," replied his mother, with mock
severity. "We were asking a favor. It is no time to be freezingly
formal."

"Freezingly formal?" echoed the young man. "Why, you've invited him to
dinner!"

"Well, you shall chaperon us," she answered, laughing. More seriously
she went on: "Besides, I had an object! Your stepfather, Mr. Marsh, has
followed me here!"

"Jimmy?" cried Tod, surprised. "Did you see him?"

"No, he came to the hotel and tried to force his way in. I refused to
see him, but he wouldn't go, so I called the porter and had him removed
from the door of my rooms."

Tod rubbed his hands gleefully.

"Good!" he cried joyfully. "That's bully!"

"He acted like a madman," went on his mother. "He said he was sorry and
would make any amends if only I would forgive him, but I wouldn't
listen."

"I told you what you might expect with a man of that kind. I don't see
how you ever married him. I ought to have kicked him downstairs when he
first patted me on the head and called me sonny boy."

"To think," wailed Mrs. Marsh, "that his millions consisted of the
property left to this poor girl by her father. My whole life wasted----"

"Oh, come now, mother," protested Tod, "not your whole life! You lived
happily with my father for eleven years."

"I mean--my widowhood has been wasted," replied his mother, with a sigh.

Further conversation was interrupted by the entrance of old man Collins,
who, going to the desk, gathered pen, ink, and paper and then made his
way solemnly upstairs. He had no sooner disappeared than the door of the
female ward opened and Mrs. Johnson appeared. Addressing Mrs. Marsh,
she said respectfully:

"If you will step this way, madam, you can see Miss Marsh for a few
minutes."

"That's Paula's nurse," whispered Tod.

He also rose and went toward the ward with his mother, but the nurse
held up her hand.

"Not you, sir, only the lady," she said.

"There's no danger, is there?" inquired Mrs. Marsh timidly.

"Oh, she's not very dangerous! She won't bite you!" grinned Tod
reassuringly.

"This way, please, m'm," said the nurse.

Holding the door open for the visitor, Mrs. Johnson waited until she had
entered and then closed it carefully behind her. Tod stood looking after
the two women until the door was shut in his face, then he walked over
to the window and stood gazing disconsolately out into the grounds. How
he envied h