ulgently. "If you had had a
good sleep last night, Gilbert, you'd be as ready as I am for a flight
of imagination."

"I did good work last night, Anne," said Gilbert quietly. "Under God,
I saved a life. This is the first time I could ever really claim that.
In other cases I may have helped; but, Anne, if I had not stayed at
Allonby's last night and fought death hand to hand, that woman would
have died before morning. I tried an experiment that was certainly
never tried in Four Winds before. I doubt if it was ever tried
anywhere before outside of a hospital. It was a new thing in Kingsport
hospital last winter. I could never have dared try it here if I had
not been absolutely certain that there was no other chance. I risked
it--and it succeeded. As a result, a good wife and mother is saved for
long years of happiness and usefulness. As I drove home this morning,
while the sun was rising over the harbor, I thanked God that I had
chosen the profession I did. I had fought a good fight and won--think
of it, Anne, WON, against the Great Destroyer. It's what I dreamed of
doing long ago when we talked together of what we wanted to do in life.
That dream of mine came true this morning."

"Was that the only one of your dreams that has come true?" asked Anne,
who knew perfectly well what the substance of his answer would be, but
wanted to hear it again.

"YOU know, Anne-girl," said Gilbert, smiling into her eyes. At that
moment there were certainly two perfectly happy people sitting on the
doorstep of a little white house on the Four Winds Harbor shore.

Presently Gilbert said, with a change of tone, "Do I or do I not see a
full-rigged ship sailing up our lane?"

Anne looked and sprang up.

"That must be either Miss Cornelia Bryant or Mrs. Moore coming to
call," she said.

"I'm going into the office, and if it is Miss Cornelia I warn you that
I'll eavesdrop," said Gilbert. "From all I've heard regarding Miss
Cornelia I conclude that her conversation will not be dull, to say the
least."

"It may be Mrs. Moore."

"I don't think Mrs. Moore is built on those lines. I saw her working
in her garden the other day, and, though I was too far away to see
clearly, I thought she was rather slender. She doesn't seem very
socially inclined when she has never called on you yet, although she's
your nearest neighbor."

"She can't be like Mrs. Lynde, after all, or curiosity would have
brought her," said Anne. "This ca