ent Building,
New York City.

Mrs. Bell looked at it curiously. "Oh, it isn't possible that you are
_that_ Miss Holland, _the_ Miss Holland!" she said incredulously.

Silvia laughed. "Don't I look as if I could say 'Gentlemen of the jury'
with sufficient gravity?" she said. "Probably I shall do better when we
say 'Ladies of the jury,' too."

"You look like what you are, a beautiful and fashionable lady," Mrs.
Bell answered. "Surely no one would ever take you for a professional
woman."

"Must a fashionable lady be a listless parasite? Even if she wishes
merely to be a queen of society, would she not be more queenly if she
knew the trials and afflictions of others, and, better still, knew how
to help them? Would she be less a queen if she were not dependent upon
some man for her daily bread----"

A sudden flash of something, she could not tell whether it was pain or
rebellion or despair, crossed Mrs. Bell's face, and Silvia hesitated and
then went on rather hurriedly, as if, knowing she had struck a false
note, she sought to distract the other woman's thought from it. "I am
trying to demonstrate the glorious mission that belongs to woman when
she fills her predestined sphere of economic independence and political
freedom."

"Political freedom will come first and easiest," said the woman slowly.
She raised her eyes, filled with trouble, and looked full into Silvia's.
"The other is the greater boon, and will be harder to win. Some day I
may need to consult a lawyer; there is no one I would so gladly trust;
it is a personal matter and may adjust itself, if not----"

"If not, telephone to make sure that I am in, and I shall be glad to see
you at any time," answered Silvia.

There was the sound of a quick, firm step in the hall, and the bell
rang. Mrs. Bell opened the door and admitted Dr. Earl. After a few
questions and the exchange of greetings, he went over to the bedside of
his small patient. He found the child doing admirably, and glanced
hastily about the room, trying to make up his mind whether he might
offer any other assistance than that of a professional character. He
decided that he could not, and realized with a sense of pleasure and
relief that Miss Holland would be able to attend to such details with
more tact and skill than he could. Nor could he help the glow of
gratification that they should be associated in so vital a matter, one
that he felt swept away the petty conventi