berty of searching for--for Miss Jannan's address," the
other told him. Well, and why not! "Mr. Provost and Mrs. Jannan are away
for a week." Howat hoped that Kingsfrere would not turn up with his
flat face. He was conscious of smiling at a memory the exact shape of
which escaped him--something humorous that had happened to the pasty
youth. A refreshing air came in at the open windows, and he struggled
for a full, satisfying breath. The relief of what he dimly recognized as
oxygen followed. The nurse moved to the door and Mariana entered.

"Howat," she exclaimed, sitting beside him, "how silly of you! A cold
now with winter done. The snow is running away. And these soda-watery
tanks." He felt a warmth communicated by her actual presence. "It's just
my breathing," he told her; "it gets stopped up. A damned nuisance! Did
Honduras meet you?"

She assured him that she had been correctly received, and vanished to
remove her hat. Mariana must not sit in here, with the windows open, he
told the nurse; but then, he added, it was no good giving Mariana
advice. She wouldn't listen to it, except to do the opposite. She came
back, in one of her eternal knitted things, this one like a ripe banana,
and sat in the nurse's place. There was a great deal he wanted to know,
in a few minutes, when he felt less oppressed. The night came swiftly,
lit by his familiar lamps; Rudolph moved about in the orderly
disposition of fresh white laundry. A coat needed pressing. It would do
to-morrow. The doctor hurt him with a little scraping stab at the
bottom of his ear.

"Mariana," he at last made the effort of speech, questioning: "I have
been bothered about your--your temporary arrangement. That Harriet, you
know ... make trouble."

"Why, Howat," she replied, admirably detached; "you don't read the
important sheets of the papers! Harriet has made a tremendous success
with what was supposed to be a small part. A New York manager has
engaged her in letters of fire, for an unthinkable amount. James and I
sent her our obscure compliments, but we were virtuously rebuked by a
legal gentleman. Harriet, it seems, is going to cast us off."

Of all that she had said only the word obscure remained in his mind; and
it roused in him an echo of his old, dogmatic pride. "Mariana," he
demanded, "didn't the reorganization come about; isn't James Polder
superintendent?"

She hesitated, then replied in a low, steady voice. "Yes, Howat, it did;
but they didn't