"Mercy on us!" she exclaimed. "WHAT in the world are you doin'
downstairs here?"

Galusha blushed guiltily and hastened to explain that he was feeling
quite himself, really, and so had, of course, risen and--ah--dressed.

"But I do hope, Miss Phipps," he added, "that I haven't kept you waiting
breakfast. I'm afraid I have."

She laughed at the idea. "Indeed you haven't," she declared. "If you
don't mind my sayin' so, Mr. Bangs, the angel Gabriel couldn't keep me
waitin' breakfast till half past nine on a Saturday mornin'. Primmie and
I were up at half-past six sharp. That is, I got up then and Primmie was
helped up about five minutes afterward. But what I want to know," she
went on, "is why you got up at all. Didn't the doctor say you were to
stay abed until he came?"

"Why--why, yes, I believe he did, but you see--you see--"

"Never mind. The main thing is that you ARE up and must be pretty nearly
starved. Sit right down, Mr. Bangs. Your breakfast will be ready in two
shakes."

"But Miss Phipps, I wish you wouldn't trouble about my breakfast. I
feel--"

"I know how you feel; that is, I know how _I_ should feel if I hadn't
eaten a thing but toast-bread since yesterday mornin'. Sit down, Mr.
Bangs."

She hastened from the room. Galusha, the guilty feeling even more
pronounced, sat down as requested. Five minutes afterward she returned
to tell him that breakfast was ready. He followed her to the dining
room, another comfortable, sunshiny apartment, where Primmie, grinning
broadly, served him with oatmeal and boiled eggs and hot biscuits and
coffee. He was eating when Doctor Powers' runabout drove up.

The doctor, after scolding his patient for disobeying orders, gave the
said patient a pretty thorough examination.

"You are in better shape than you deserve to be," he said, "but you are
not out of the woods yet. What you need is to gain strength, and that
means a few days' rest and quiet and good food. If your friends, the
Halls, were at their cottage at the Centre I'd take you there, Mr.
Bangs, but they're not. I would take you over to my house, but my wife's
sister and her children are with us and I haven't any place to put you."

Galusha, who had been fidgeting in his chair, interrupted. "Now, Doctor
Powers," he begged, "please don't think of such a thing. I am quite well
enough to travel."

"Excuse me, but you are not."

"But you said yourself you would take me to Wellmouth if the Halls were
there."