owards the bed,
and said lightly--

"Sorry to be late, old man. How goes it? Tried the walking again?"

"This morning. Yes. But--" Pat shrugged wearily--"not since. Got a
head--"

Stephen looked at him critically. Bright eyes, flushed cheeks,
shortened breath, all the danger signals to the fore.

"Bit feverish, old man, that's the trouble! Exerting yourself too much
perhaps. Good thing I didn't come to tire you further. Get that doctor
fellow to give you something to cool you down, and give you a good
night's rest, and the little cherub will wake up bright as a button."

"Shan't!" Pat cried. "No more doctors! Sick of the sight of doctors!
What have doctors done for _me_? Chained here all these weeks, and
worse at the end! I can look after myself."

"Taken your temperature by any chance?"

"What's the good? Don't _you_ start worrying, Glynn! I've had enough
of it from Pixie. I'm not going to be worried with temperatures."

"Don't behave like a child, O'Shaughnessy. No one wants to worry you
with doctors if it can be helped. I don't wonder you are tired of them,
but you can't run risks. Take your temperature like a sensible fellow,
and if it's under a hundred, I'll leave you in peace. Otherwise I go
downstairs this minute and telephone for Braithey. Where's the
thermometer, Miss O'Shaughnessy? Now then, in with it!"

Pat scowled, but submitted. The glass tube was held between set lips,
and a silence ensued which Stephen made no effort to break. Pixie
waited expectantly for him to join her, but he kept his position by the
bed, without so much as turning his head in her direction. And upon
entering he had avoided her glance, had dropped her hand after the most
perfunctory, clasp, and last night he had gone away without even saying
good-night. ... She had offended him: certainly she must have offended
him, Pixie told herself, though _how_ she was unable to think. She
stared into the fire, feeling tired, and sad, and discouraged.

"Three minutes. Yes, that's enough. Let me see! I'm getting quite
clever with these puzzling things. Ye-es!" With a deft jerk of his
wrist Stephen shook the thermometer, and returned it to it's case.
"Slightly up! No escape for it, Pat. Braithey must come!"

"I won't see him. I won't see him if he comes! Look here, Glynn, it's
my affair! Leave me alone, there's a good fellow! I can look after
myself..."

Stephen walked steadily to the door.

"I'