her own
room, and banged the door shut. "_Maurice is unhappy!_" she said. The
tears started, and she stamped her foot. "I can't _bear_ it! Old darling
Maurice--what makes him unhappy? I could kill anybody that hurts
Maurice!" She began to take off her hat, her fingers trembling--then
stopped and frowned: "I believe Eleanor's been nasty to him? I'd like to
choke her!" Suddenly her cheeks burned; she stood still, and caught her
lower lip between her teeth; "I don't care! I'm _glad_ I did it. I--I'd
do it again! ... Darling old Maurice!"

CHAPTER XXIII

When Jacky's father--with that honest young kiss warm upon his
cheek--reached the little "two-family" house, he saw the red sign on the
door: _Scarlet Fever_.

"He's got it," he thought, fiercely; "but why in hell did she send for
me?--and a telegram!--to the _house_! She's mad." He was panting with
anger as he pressed the button at Lily's door; "I'll tell her I'll never
see her again, long as I live!" Furious words were on the tip of his
tongue; then she opened the door, and he was dumb.

"Oh, Mr. Curtis--don't--don't let them take Jacky! Oh, Mr. Curtis!" She
flung herself upon him, sobbing frantically. "Don't let them--I'll kill
them if they touch Jacky! Oh, my soul and body! He'll die if they take
him--I won't let them take him--" She was shaking and stammering and
gasping. "I won't have him touched.... You got to stop them--"

"Lily, _don't_! What's the matter?"

"This woman downstairs 's about crazy, because she has three children. I
hope they all catch it and die and go to hell! She's shut up there with
'em in her flat. She won't put her nose outside the door! She come up
here this morning, and saw Jacky, and she said it was scarlet fever.
Seems she knew what it was, 'cause she had a boy die of it--glad he did!
And she sent--the slut!--a complaint to the Board of Health--and the
doctor, he come this afternoon, and said it was! And he said he was
going to take Jacky _to-night_!"

Her voice made him cringe; her yellow tigress eyes blazed at him; he had
known that Lily, for all her good humor, had occasional sharp gusts of
temper, little squalls that raced over summer seas of kindliness! But
he had never seen this Lily: A ferocious, raucous Lily, madly maternal!
A Lily of the pavements.... "An' I said he wasn't going to do no such
thing! An' I said I'd stop it: I said I'd take the law to him; I said
I'd get Jacky's father: I--"

"Good God! Lily--"

"O