med the doctor, in surprise, "and leave your husband
alone!"

"I can't take care of him--you must see that I can't," said Mrs.
Preston, fretfully. "I can't expose my life without doing him any
good."

"I expose myself every time I visit him," said the doctor. "I never
had the smallpox. Have you been vaccinated?"

"Yes, I believe so--I'm sure I don't know. But people sometimes take
the smallpox even after they have been vaccinated. I should be so
frightened that I could do no good."

"Then," said the doctor, gravely, "you have decided to leave your
husband?"

"Yes, doctor, I must. It is my duty--to my boy," answered Mrs.
Preston, catching at this excuse with eagerness. "I must live for him,
you know. Of course, if I could do any good, it would be different.
But what would Godfrey do if both his father and mother should die?"

She looked up into his face, hoping that he would express approval of
her intentions; but the doctor was too honest for this. In truth, he
was disgusted with the woman's selfishness, and would like to have
said so; but this politeness forbade. At any rate, he was not going to
be trapped into any approval of her selfish and cowardly
determination.

"What do you wish to be done, Mrs. Preston?" he asked. "Of course,
your husband must be taken care of."

"Hire a nurse, doctor. A nurse will do much more good than I could.
She will know just what to do. Most of them have had the smallpox. It
is really much better for my husband that it should be so. Of course,
you can pay high wages--anything she asks," added Mrs. Preston, whose
great fear made her, for once in her life, liberal.

"I suppose that will be the best thing to do. You wish me, then, to
engage a nurse?"

"Yes, doctor, if you will be so kind."

"When do you go away?"

"At once. I shall pack up my clothes immediately. On the whole, I
think I will go to the town where Godfrey is at school, and board
there for the present. I must see him, and prevent him from coming
home."

"You will go into your husband's chamber and bid him good-by?"

"No; I cannot think of it. It would only be useless exposure."

"What will he think?"

"Explain it to him, doctor. Tell him that I hope he will get well very
soon, and that I feel it my duty to go away now on Godfrey's account.
I am sure he will see that it is my duty."

"I wonder what excuse she would have if she had no son for a pretext?"
thought the doctor.

"Well," he said, "I will do a