as out on a visit to a patient. He had given her the freedom of
the place and had especially insisted that she use his books and make
his library her resting place whenever her mind was fagged. She had
spent many quiet hours in its inspiring atmosphere.

She seated herself at his desk and studied the calendar which hung above
it. A sudden terror overwhelmed her; she buried her face in her arms and
burst into tears.

She was still lying across the desk, sobbing, when the Doctor walked
into the room.

He touched her hair reproachfully with his firm hand.

"Why, what's this? My little soldier has disobeyed orders?"

"I don't want to live now," she sobbed.

"And why not?"

"I--I--am going to be a mother," she whispered.

"So?"

"The mother of a criminal! Oh, Doctor, it's horrible! Why did you let me
live? The hell I passed through that night was enough--God knows! This
will be unendurable. I've made up my mind--I'll die first----"

"Rubbish, child! Rubbish!" he answered with a laugh. "Where did you get
all this misinformation?"

"You know what my husband was. How can you ask?"

"Because I happen to know also his wife--the mother-to-be of this
supposed criminal who has just set sail for the shores of our
planet--and I know that she is one of the purest and sweetest souls who
ever lost her way in the jungles of the world. If you were the criminal,
dear heart, the case might be hopeless. But you're not. You are only
the innocent victim of your own folly. That doesn't count in the game of
Nature----"

"What do you mean?" she asked breathlessly.

"Simply this: The part which the male plays in the reproduction of the
race is small in comparison with the role of the female. He is merely
a supernumerary who steps on the stage for a moment and speaks one word
announcing the arrival of the queen. The queen is the mother. She plays
the star role in the drama of Heredity. She is never off the stage for a
single moment. We inherit the most obvious physical traits from our male
ancestors but even these may be modified by the will of the mother."

"Modified by the will of the mother?" she repeated blankly.

"Certainly. There are yet long days and weeks and months before your
babe will be born--at least seven months. There's not a sight or sound
of earth or heaven that can reach or influence this coming human being
save through your eyes and ears and touch and soul. Almighty God can
speak His message only through you. Y