eing mad at me?" he asked.

"No," she averred resolutely.

"I'm glad you're not," he returned, "I'm not over being mad at myself.
Haven't seen you for a long time. Stay here a good deal, do you?"

"All the time."

"I'll bet you don't know what day this is?"

Nan looked up the corridor, but she answered to the point: "You'd
lose."

"It's our anniversary." She darted a look of indignant disclaimer at
him. But in doing so she met his eyes. "Have you seen the decorations
in Main Street?" he asked indifferently. "Come out for a minute and
look at them."

She shook her head: "I don't care to," she answered, looking
restlessly, this time, down the corridor.

"Come to the door just a minute and see the way they've lighted the
arches." She knew just the expression of his eyes that went with that
tone. She looked vexedly at him to confirm her suspicion. Sure enough
there in the brown part and in the lids, it was, the most troublesome
possible kind of an expression--hard to be resolute against. Her eyes
fell away, but some damage had been done. He did not say another word.
None seemed necessary. He just kept still and something--no one could
have said just what--seemed to talk for him to poor defenseless Nan.
She hesitated helplessly: "I can't leave uncle," she objected at
last.

"Ask him to come along."

Her eyes fluttered about the dimly lighted hall: de Spain gazed on her
as steadily as a charmer. "I ought not to leave even for a minute,"
she protested weakly.

"I'll stay here at the door while you go."

Irresolute, she let her eyes rest again for a fraction of a second on
his eyes; when she drew a breath after that pause everything was over.
"I'd better give him his medicine first," she said, looking toward the
sick-room door.

His monosyllabic answer was calm: "Do." Then as she laid her hand on
the knob of the door to enter the room: "Can I help any?"

"Oh, no!" she cried indignantly.

He laughed silently: "I'll stay here."

Nan disappeared. Lounging against the window-sill opposite the door,
he waited. After a long time the door was stealthily reopened. Nan
tiptoed out. She closed it softly behind her: "I waited for him to go
to sleep," she explained as she started down the corridor with de
Spain. "He's had so much pain to-day: I hope he will sleep."

"I hope so, too," exclaimed de Spain fervently.

Nan ignored the implication. She looked straight ahead. She had
nothing to say. De Spain, walking besi