going with you." Charlotte said it gayly,
but her eyes were suddenly wistful. "How long shall you stay? I shall
miss you horribly."

"I wish you were going, dear. Nothing could make me happier. We should be
a great party then, for Dr. Leaver goes with us. It's a sudden decision
on his part. Red wrote him of certain work he wanted to do in the clinics
and urged him to go along, thinking it would be just the thing for him
now, after plunging into work again with such a will. You know they spent
a year there together, ten years ago, and Dr. Leaver wrote that the
thought of going over the old scenes with Red tempted him beyond
resistance. He's been across twice since, but only for a special purpose
of study. Of course both will do more or less observing in clinics now,
but I imagine they will get in a bit of merrymaking together. If I only
had you to go about with me while they were busy I should ask nothing
better."

"Shall you be gone all winter?"

"Oh, no; only two months in all. Neither Red nor 'Jack'--as he always
calls him--feel that they can spare longer than that, this time. So by
the first of March you will see us returning to our own fireside, and
probably glad enough to get back to it. German fires, as I remember them,
are by no means as hot as American ones. And that brings me to my plan
for you and Granny. I want you to come over and live in the house in our
absence. There'll be only Cynthia there, for Bob is to stay with Martha.
He will be happier over there with her boys than with Cynthia. So you
will have the whole house to yourselves and can be as snug as possible
all through the heaviest part of the winter."

She smiled confidently at Charlotte, seeing no possible reason why her
friend should object to a plan so obviously for the comfort of all
concerned. But to her surprise Charlotte slowly shook her head.

"It's a beautiful, kind plan, and exactly like you, but I couldn't think
of accepting it."

"My dearest girl, will you tell me why? You would be doing me all kinds
of a favour."

"No favour at all. Cynthia doesn't need us to help her take care of the
house. We shall be perfectly comfortable here, and--my business is here."

"Charlotte, I'm afraid you won't be perfectly comfortable. This room
isn't really warm this morning, and it's not an extremely cold morning.
Through midwinter we're likely to have very heavy weather, as you don't
know, not having spent a winter here."

"Have you? Isn't t