hornton--already?"

"Aw, stop kiddin'!" said the Flopper. "Already! Wot's 'already' got to
do wid it? We ain't none of us church members, are we? Say, where'd you
pick up Helena yerself--and how long did it take youse? I don't know
whether dere's anyt'ing goin' on or not--mabbe she's only gettin'
lonely--youse ain't hung around her much lately, Doc."

Madison laughed suddenly.

"You're talking through your hat, Flopper," he said shortly. "You don't
know Helena."

"It's a wise guy dat knows skirts," said the Flopper profoundly; then,
with something approaching a sigh: "Say, Doc, dere's a lalapazoozoo, a
peach down here."

"Hullo!" exclaimed Madison, shooting a hurried and critical glance at
the Flopper in the moonlight. "What's this, Flopper--what's this? What
have you been up to? You're supposed to be attending strictly to
business."

"An' you needn't t'ink I ain't," asserted the Flopper. "But I can't stop
de town fallin' over itself to bring de whole farmyard, an' eggs, an'
butter, an' flour, an' everyt'ing else out here every mornin', can I?
She's blown in twice wid cream fer de Patriarch."

"What's her name?" inquired Madison quizzically.

"Mamie Rodgers," said the Flopper. "She says her old man keeps a store
in de village."

"I know her," nodded Madison. "Pretty girl and all right, Flopper. But
mind what you're doing, that's all. I don't want any complications to
queer things around here--understand? But let's get down to the business
that I came out about--the lay from now on. You can put Helena wise."

"Sure," said the Flopper earnestly.

"Well then, listen," said Madison. "The patients have begun to
arrive--there were three of them in to-day. There's no more circus
parades--everything's under the tent after this. I want you to wean the
Patriarch entirely from that front room--that's to be free for anybody
to enter so's they can drink in atmosphere--and see the contribution
box. But they don't see the Patriarch. Get his armchair into his own
room, make him comfortable there--get the idea? Now, there's no
consultation hours--the Patriarch can't be seen just by asking for
him--the only chance they get at the Patriarch is by an exercise of
patience that'll work their faith up to a pitch that'll do them some
good. The harder it is to get a thing, the more it's worth and the more
you want it--that's the principle. See?"

"Sure," said the Flopper, licking his lips.

"Sometimes," Madison went on, "you're