carefully
repressed voice there lurked something irrational, something she could
not cope with. She looked up at him helplessly.

"But what do you want me to do? You--you almost frighten me. If you'd
only sit down--"

"I want you to come home. I'm not asking anything else now. I just want
you to come back, so that things will be the way they used to be. Now
that they have turned you out--"

"They've done nothing of the sort. I've told you that."

"You're going back?"

"Absolutely."

"Because you love the hospital, or because you love somebody connected
with the hospital?"

Sidney was thoroughly angry by this time, angry and reckless. She had
come through so much that every nerve was crying in passionate protest.

"If it will make you understand things any better," she cried, "I am
going back for both reasons!"

She was sorry the next moment. But her words seemed, surprisingly
enough, to steady him. For the first time, he sat down.

"Then, as far as I am concerned, it's all over, is it?"

"Yes, Joe. I told you that long ago."

He seemed hardly to be listening. His thoughts had ranged far ahead.
Suddenly:--

"You think Christine has her hands full with Palmer, don't you? Well,
if you take Max Wilson, you're going to have more trouble than Christine
ever dreamed of. I can tell you some things about him now that will make
you think twice."

But Sidney had reached her limit. She went over and flung open the door.

"Every word that you say shows me how right I am in not marrying you,
Joe," she said. "Real men do not say those things about each other under
any circumstances. You're behaving like a bad boy. I don't want you to
come back until you have grown up."

He was very white, but he picked up his hat and went to the door.

"I guess I AM crazy," he said. "I've been wanting to go away, but mother
raises such a fuss--I'll not annoy you any more."

He reached in his pocket and, pulling out a small box, held it toward
her. The lid was punched full of holes.

"Reginald," he said solemnly. "I've had him all winter. Some boys caught
him in the park, and I brought him home."

He left her standing there speechless with surprise, with the box in her
hand, and ran down the stairs and out into the Street. At the foot of
the steps he almost collided with Dr. Ed.

"Back to see Sidney?" said Dr. Ed genially. "That's fine, Joe. I'm glad
you've made it up."

The boy went blindly down the Street.

CHAPT