d to her with this
comical work of art; but, as she leaned forward to reach it, she caught
sight of her uncle and exclaimed: "Philippus comes here to cure me, but
he looks as if he wanted a draught himself. Take care, or you will have
to drink that bitter brown stuff you sent yesterday; then you will know
for once how nasty it can be." Though the child's exclamation was
well-meant, neither of the men took any notice of it. They stood face to
face in utter silence and with only a formal greeting; for Orion, without
Mary's remark, had been struck by the change that had come over the
physician since yesterday. Ignoring Orion's presence, he asked the child
a few brief questions, begged Eudoxia to persevere in the same course of
treatment, and then hastily bid a general farewell to all present; Orion,
however, did not respond, but said, with an affectionate glance at the
little patient: "One word with you presently."

This made Philippus turn to look at Mary and, as the eyes of the rivals
met, they knew that on one subject at any rate they thought and felt
alike. The leech already knew how tenderly the young man had taken to
Mary, and he followed him into the room which Orion now occupied, and
which, as Philippus was aware, had formerly been Paula's.

"In the cause of duty," he said to himself again and again, to keep
himself calm and enable him to gather at least the general sense of what
the handsome young fellow opposite to him was saying in his rich,
pleasant voice, and urging as a request with more warmth than the leech
had given him credit for. Philippus, of course, had heard of the
grandmother's lamentable revulsion of feeling against her grandchild, and
he thought Orion's wish to remove the little girl fully justified. But,
on learning that she was to be placed under Paula's care, he seemed
startled, and gazed at the floor in such sullen gloom that the other
easily guessed what was going on in his mind. In fact, the physician
suspected that the child was to serve merely as an excuse for the more
frequent meetings of the lovers. Unable to bury this apprehension in his
own breast he started to his feet, and was about to put it into words,
when Orion took the words out of his mouth, saying modestly but frankly,
with downcast eyes:

"I speak only for the child's--for Mary's sake. By my father's
soul. . . ."

But Philippus shook his head dismally, went up to his rival, and murmured
dully:

"For the sake of that chil