ake's unspoken
thought, took a quick step toward the door. He understood without
further word from her.

"All right," he said; "she may want to discuss symptoms. You're on the
way to the dining-car aren't you? I'll be along in five minutes, and
I'll let you know how she is. Tell them outside that it is nothing
serious and have the porter stand by--please." That last word of
politeness came out on an afterthought--he had been addressing her in
the capacity of a trained nurse. He recognized this with confusion, and
he apologized by a smile which illuminated his rather heavy, dark face.
She answered with the ghost of a smile--it moved her eyes rather than
her mouth--and the door closed.

After five minutes of perfunctory examination and courteous attention
to symptoms, he tore himself away from his patient upon the pretext
that she needed quiet. He wasted three more golden minutes in assuring
his fellow passengers that it was nothing. He escaped to the dining
car, to find that the delay had favored him. Her honey-colored back
hair gleamed from one of the narrow tables to left of the aisle. The
unconsidered man opposite her had just laid a bill on the waiter's
check, and dipped his hands in the fingerbowl. Dr. Blake invented a
short colloquy with the conductor and slipped up just as the waiter
returned with the change. He bent over the girl.

"I have to report," said he, "that the patient is doing nicely; doctor
and nurse are both discharged!"

She returned a grave smile and answered conventionally, "I am very
glad."

At that precise moment, the man across the table, as though recognizing
friendship or familiarity between these two, pocketed his change and
rose. Feeling that he was doing the thing awkwardly, that he would give
a year for a light word to cover up his boldness, Dr. Blake took the
seat. He looked slowly up as he settled himself, and he could feel the
heat of a blush on his temples. He perceived--and for a moment it did
not reassure him--that she on her part neither blushed nor bristled.
Her skin kept its transparent whiteness, and her eyes looked into his
with intent gravity. Indeed, he felt through her whole attitude the
perfect frankness of good breeding--a frankness which discouraged
familiarity while accepting with human simplicity an accidental contact
of the highway. She was the better gentleman of the two. His renewed
confusion set him to talking fast.

"If it weren't that you failed to come in