Doctor Sansome had heard that," I said, "he would have changed his
mind."

She listened intently to the quick, light, foetal heartbeat for over a
minute, and gradually a faraway gleam lighted her eyes. "Oh if you
were only right," she said softly, "Here I've chased stories all over
the globe half my life, and I'd have the biggest story since the flood
right here in my own tummy!"

She lay back again. "But of course, you're wrong."

"Then what do you call the sounds you've just heard?" I said in
complete exasperation.

"Gut rumble," she said. "Now go along like a nice intern and find me a
passel of surgeons and let's have at this tumor, cancer, bubble-gum or
what have you. I want out of here, fast as I can mend."

* * * * *

There was no reason to keep the female news-correspondent in bed, but
she wouldn't stir. She was confident that Phillipe Sansome's findings
would convince us. Three days passed with no word from Paris. Then, on
the fourth day, her medical history arrived in the briefcase of the
famous surgeon himself.

"I flew," he apologized, "but it took two days to detach myself.
Delighted to meet you, Dr. Foley. Your cable mentioned a Miss Sara
Caffey, maternity patient. Is it _possible_?"

He was large for a Frenchman, and his gauntness was compounded by an
obvious lack of sleep. His black eyes bore into mine as if to drag out
what appeared to me to be a fairly mundane admission.

"We call her that," I said shrugging. "And as to her condition, you
may examine her yourself."

"_Sacre bleu!_" His eyes rolled up like bloodshot cue-balls. "She
left us at her own insistence. Aside from ethics, we must not disturb
her by my reappearance. But I have a favor to ask. A giant mountain of
a fantastic favor. Now that I have found her again, I must not lose
her, certainly not, until--"

He grabbed pen and paper and moved his chair to my desk. He wrote
briefly. "_Voila!_ These simple adjustments in her metabolism--diet,
and just a few so petite injections. And may I remain here in the
behind-ground, incognito? I will help with other work--at no cost, of
course. I will be an orderly, if you will. But I must remain in touch.
Close touch."

I was a bit nonplussed. A man of Sansome's reputation! It was like a
United States Senator pleading for the opportunity to scrub out the
men's room at the House of Representatives. Just the same, I wouldn't
be stampeded or overawed. Several prov