t scold the returned wanderer," said the Professor, glancing about
the room swiftly until he caught Molly's eye, and then smiling and
nodding. "It's dangerous for convalescents to be bored, and realizing
that Christmas in the tropics might bring on a relapse, I decided to
lose no time in getting back home."

"And glad we are to see you, lad," said the doctor, seizing his hand and
shaking it warmly. "You did quite right to come back before the _ennui_
got in its work. It's worse than the fever."

Molly left Jimmy Lufton's side to shake hands with the Professor, and
then the Professor remembered the young newspaper man and greeted him
cordially, and after that all the company went back into the dining-room
for hot chocolate and sandwiches. And here it was that all the mischief
started which came very near to breaking up the great friendship that
existed between Molly and the Professor.

It was simply that the Professor overheard scraps of information that
Jimmy was pouring into Molly's ready ear while she listened with
glowing cheeks and a gay smile to what he had to say.

"Oh, you'll enjoy New York all right, Miss Brown, and the newspaper work
won't be as hard as what you are doing now, I fancy. I'm sure they'd
take you on if only for your----" he paused. "You have only to ask and
I'll put in a good word, too," he added. "You can never understand what
a good time you'll have until you get there--theaters until you have had
enough and the opera, too. I often get tickets through our critic----"

"The grand opera," repeated Molly.

"Yes, anything you like. Lohengrin, Aida, La Boheme. Sooner or later you
will see them all. Then there are the restaurants--such jolly places to
get little dinners, and you are so independent. You are too busy to be
lonesome and you can come and go as you like, nobody to boss you except
the editor, of course, and you'll soon catch on. You have a natural
knack for writing. I could tell that by your letters----"

Molly, listening to the voice of the tempter, saw a picture of New York
as one might see a picture of a carnival, all lights and fun and good
times.

"But I want to work, too, more than anything else," she said suddenly.

"Oh, you'll have plenty to do," laughed the careless Jimmy, who took
life about as seriously as a humming-bird.

After supper the Professor drew Molly away from the crowd of young
people and led her to a sofa in the hall.

"I want to talk to you," he said in a