on would be, and
preferred to avoid the actual sight of it as long as possible.
Meanwhile, he stared hard at her, his lips beginning to move with little
distortions not lacking in the pathos of a sick man's agitation.

"So that's it," he said. "That's what you're hinting at."

"'Hinting?'" Mrs. Adams looked surprised and indulgent. "Why, I'm not
doing any hinting, Virgil."

"What did you say about my finding 'something good to get into?'" he
asked, sharply. "Don't you call that hinting?"

Mrs. Adams turned toward him now; she came to the bedside and would have
taken his hand, but he quickly moved it away from her.

"You mustn't let yourself get nervous," she said. "But of course when
you get well there's only one thing to do. You mustn't go back to that
old hole again."

"'Old hole?' That's what you call it, is it?" In spite of his weakness,
anger made his voice strident, and upon this stimulation she spoke more
urgently.

"You just mustn't go back to it, Virgil. It's not fair to any of us, and
you know it isn't."

"Don't tell me what I know, please!"

She clasped her hands, suddenly carrying her urgency to plaintive
entreaty. "Virgil, you WON'T go back to that hole?"

"That's a nice word to use to me!" he said. "Call a man's business a
hole!"

"Virgil, if you don't owe it to me to look for something different,
don't you owe it to your children? Don't tell me you won't do what we
all want you to, and what you know in your heart you ought to! And if
you HAVE got into one of your stubborn fits and are bound to go back
there for no other reason except to have your own way, don't tell me so,
for I can't bear it!"

He looked up at her fiercely. "You've got a fine way to cure a sick
man!" he said; but she had concluded her appeal--for that time--and
instead of making any more words in the matter, let him see that there
were tears in her eyes, shook her head, and left the room.

Alone, he lay breathing rapidly, his emaciated chest proving itself
equal to the demands his emotion put upon it. "Fine!" he repeated, with
husky indignation. "Fine way to cure a sick man! Fine!" Then, after a
silence, he gave forth whispering sounds as of laughter, his expression
the while remaining sore and far from humour.

"And give us our daily bread!" he added, meaning that his wife's little
performance was no novelty.

CHAPTER II

In fact, the agitation of Mrs. Adams was genuine, but so well under her
control that its t