detail, but I mention it in case you should be tempted to
broach the subject to him. I shouldn't advise you to do so, as I think
you will probably find him rather touchy about it."

"But, Nick!" Olga's eyes had begun to shine. "It was very--fine of him,"
she said. "I wish I'd known before I was so cross to him. I--I should
have made allowances if I had known."

"Quite so," said Nick. "Well, you can begin now if you feel so inclined,
though I suppose the young man did no more than his duty after all."

"Oh, Nick, a man isn't obliged to go so far as that!" she exclaimed
reproachfully. "There are plenty who wouldn't."

"Doubtless," agreed Nick, looking faintly quizzical. "It was the action
of a fool--but a brave fool. We'll grant him that much, shall we?"

She laughed a little, her cheek against his shoulder. "Don't poke fun at
me! It isn't fair. You know he isn't a fool perfectly well."

"By Jove! You are getting magnanimous!" laughed Nick.

"No, I'm not. I'm only trying to be fair. One must be that," said Olga,
whose honest soul abhorred injustice of any description.

"Oh, of course," said Nick. "You'll have to spoil him now to make up for
having been so--'horrid,' I think, is the proper term, isn't it? It's
the most comprehensive word in the woman's vocabulary, comprising
everything from slightly disagreeable to damned offensive."

"Really, Nick!"

Nick grinned. "Pardon my unparliamentary language!"

"But Nick, I've never been--that!" protested Olga.

"A matter of opinion!" laughed Nick.

But Olga did not laugh, she only flushed a little and changed the
subject.

About an hour later, Max, taking his hat from a peg in the hall,
preparatory to departing for the cottage-hospital, discovered the lining
thereof to be pulled away in order to accommodate a twisted scrap of
paper which had been pinned to it in evident haste.

He carried the hat to the consulting-room and there detached and
examined its contents. He smoothed out the crumpled morsel with his
customary deliberation, drawing his shaggy red brows together over a few
lines of minute writing which became visible as he did so.

"Dear Max," he read, "I'm sorry I've been a beast to
you lately. Please don't take any notice of this but let us
just be friends for the future. Yours,

"Olga."

There was no mockery in the green eyes as they deciphered the impulsive
note, nor did the somewhat hard lips smile. Max stood for some seconds
after r