ng a cigarette before
Andreas had time to answer. "You don't smoke, do you? No time to indulge
in pernicious little habits!"

"How is she now?" asked Andreas, loathing the man.

"Oh, well as can be expected, poor little soul. She begged me to come
down and have a look at you. Said she knew you were worrying." With
laughing eyes the doctor looked at the breakfast-table. "Managed to peck
a bit, I see, eh?"

"Hoo-wih!" shouted the wind, shaking the window-sashes.

"Pity--this weather," said Doctor Erb.

"Yes, it gets on Anna's nerves, and it's just nerve she wants."

"Eh, what's that?" retorted the doctor. "Nerve! Man alive! She's got
twice the nerve of you and me rolled into one. Nerve! she's nothing
but nerve. A woman who works as she does about the house and has three
children in four years thrown in with the dusting, so to speak!"

He pitched his half-smoked cigarette into the fireplace and frowned at
the window.

"Now HE'S accusing me," thought Andreas. "That's the second time
this morning--first mother and now this man taking advantage of my
sensitiveness." He could not trust himself to speak, and rang the bell
for the servant girl.

"Clear away the breakfast things," he ordered. "I can't have them
messing about on the table till dinner!"

"Don't be hard on the girl," coaxed Doctor Erb. "She's got twice the
work to do to-day."

At that Binzer's anger blazed out.

"I'll trouble you, Doctor, not to interfere between me and my servants!"
And he felt a fool at the same moment for not saying "servant."

Doctor Erb was not perturbed. He shook his head, thrust his hands into
his pockets, and began balancing himself on toe and heel.

"You're jagged by the weather," he said wryly, "nothing else. A great
pity--this storm. You know climate has an immense effect upon birth. A
fine day perks a woman--gives her heart for her business. Good weather
is as necessary to a confinement as it is to a washing day. Not
bad--that last remark of mine--for a professional fossil, eh?"

Andreas made no reply.

"Well, I'll be getting back to my patient. Why don't you take a walk,
and clear your head? That's the idea for you."

"No," he answered, "I won't do that; it's too rough."

He went back to his chair by the window. While the servant girl cleared
away he pretended to read... then his dreams! It seemed years since he
had had the time to himself to dream like that--he never had a breathing
space. Saddled with work all d