't ask him," said David Linton calmly. "When does he
leave the hospital?"

"This day week, if he is well enough."

"Then we'll have you comfortably installed long before that. We won't
tell him a thing about it: on the day he's to come out I'll go for him
in the motor and whisk him down to Homewood before he realizes where
he's going. Now, be sensible, Mrs. Hunt"--as she tried to speak.
"You know what his state is--how anxious you are: you told me all
about it just now. Can you, in justice to him, refuse to come?--can
you face bringing him back here?"

Geoffrey suddenly burst into sobs.

"Oh, don't Mother!" he choked. "You know how he hates it.
And--trees, and grass, and woods, and----" He hid his face on her
arm.

"An' tsickens," said Alison. "An' ackits to play in."

"You're in a hopeless minority, you see, Mrs. Hunt," said Mr. Linton.
"You'll have to give in."

Mrs. Hunt put her arms round the two children who were pressing
against her in their eagerness: whereupon Michael raised a wrathful
howl and flung himself bodily upon them, ejaculating: "Wants to be
hugged, too!" Over the three heads the mother looked up at her
visitors.

"Yes, I give in," she said. "I'm not brave enough not to. But I
don't know what Douglas will say."

"I'll attend to Douglas," said Mr. Linton cheerfully. "Now, how soon
can you come?" He frowned severely. "There's to be no question of
house-cleaning here--I'll put in people to do that. You'll have your
husband to nurse next week, and I won't have you tiring yourself out
beforehand. So you have only to pack."

"Look, Mrs. Hunt," Norah was flushed with another brilliant idea.
"Let us take the babies down to-day--I'm sure they will come with me.
Then you and Eva will have nothing to do but pack up your things."

"Oh, I couldn't----" Mrs. Hunt began.

"Ah yes, you could." She turned to the children. "Geoff, will you
all come with my Daddy and me and get the cottage ready for Mother?"

Geoffrey hesitated.

"Would you come soon, Mother?"

"I--I believe if I had nothing else to do I could leave the flat
to-morrow," Mrs. Hunt said, submitting. "Would you all be happy,
Geoff?--and very good?"

"Yes, if you'd hurry up and come. You'll be a good kid, Alison, won't
you?"

"'Ess," said Alison. "Will I see tsickens?"

"Ever so many," Norah said. "And Michael will be a darling: and we'll
all sleep together in one big room, and have pillow-fights!"

"You had ce