persisted in
an anxious whisper. "The manufacturers ought to be prosecuted for making a
toy that will come apart like that."

"Don't stand there," protested his wife. "Maybe it's nothing. Come here
and sit down."

But Carey stood still. Presently Anthony came to the head of the stairs.

"Wayne," said he rapidly, "telephone Roger's office. Ask the trained
nurse, Miss Hughes, to send a messenger with the doctor's emergency
surgical case by the first train--he can catch the 9:40 if he's quick.
Tell Miss Hughes to follow as soon as she can get ready, prepared to stay
all night."

Then he disappeared. His voice had been steady and quiet, but his eyes had
showed his friend that the order was given under tension. Carey sprang to
the telephone, and his hand shook as he took down the receiver.

Upstairs Roger Barnes, in command, was giving cool, concise orders, his
eyes on his little patient. When he had despatched Juliet for various
things, including boiling water which she must get downstairs, he said to
Anthony in a conversational tone:

"It will probably not be safe to wait till my instruments get here, and
there's no surgeon near enough to call. I'm not going to take any chances
on this boy. If I see the necessity I'm going to get into that throat and
give him air. I shall want you and Carey to hold him. Juliet must be
downstairs."

Anthony nodded. He did not quite understand; but a few minutes later, when
Juliet had brought the boiling water, he suddenly perceived what his
friend meant.

"Alcohol, now, please," said the doctor. When Juliet had disappeared again
Barnes drew from his pocket a pearl-handled pocket-knife and tried its
blades. "It's a fortunate thing somebody made me a present of such a good
one to-day," he observed, "but it needs sharpening a bit. Have you an
oil-stone handy?"

With tightly shut lips Anthony watched the doctor put a bright edge on his
smallest blade, then, satisfied, drop the open knife into the water
bubbling over a spirit-lamp. Anthony turned his head away for an instant
from the struggling little figure on the bed. Barnes eyed him keenly.

"You're game, of course?" he said.

Anthony's eyes met his and flashed fire. "Don't you know me better than
that?"

"All right," and the young surgeon smiled. "But I've seen a medical man
himself go to pieces over his own child. This is a simple matter," he went
on lightly. "Luckily, boiling water is a more potent antiseptic than all
the d