"I thought you were staying with my--with Mrs. Fairfax," he said,
gazing at her in amazement. He was holding Phoebe in his arms, and she
was so heavy that his face was purple from the exertion.

"You'd better put her down," said Rachel, mildly. "She's not a baby
any longer." With that she proceeded to pull the child's skirts down
over the unnecessarily exposed pink legs. Harvey was not loath to set
her down, a bit abruptly if the truth must be told. "Mrs. Fairfax is
still in the drawing-room, sir. She doesn't want to get off until the
crowd has moved out."

Harvey stared. "She's--on--the--train?"

"We change for the Santa Fe, which leaves this evening for the West.
I'll go back to her now. The way is quite clear, I think. Good-bye,
Phoebe. Be a good----"

[Illustration: Copyright, 1911, by Dodd, Mead & Company
He stopped, aghast, petrified]

"I'm going with you!" cried Harvey, breathlessly. "Take me to the
car."

Rachel hesitated. "You will be surprised, sir, when you see her. She's
very frail, and----"

"Come on! Take me to my wife at once!"

"You forget, sir. She is not your wife any----"

"Oh, Lordy, Lordy!" fell dismally from his lips.

"And you have a new wife, I hear. So, if I were you, I'd avoid a scene
if----"

But he was through the gate, dragging Phoebe after him. Rachel could
not keep up with them. The eager little girl led him to the right car
and he scurried up the steps, bursting into drawing-room B an instant
later.

Nellie, wrapped in a thick garment, was lying back in the corner of
the seat, her small, white face with its great dark eyes standing out
with ghastly clearness against the collar of the ulster that almost
enveloped her head.

He stopped, aghast, petrified.

"Oh, Nellie!" he wailed.

She betrayed no surprise. A wan smile transfigured her thin face.
With an effort she extended a small gloved hand. He grasped it and
found there was so little of it that it seemed lost in his palm. The
sweat broke out on his forehead. He could not speak. This was Nellie!

Her voice was low and husky.

"Good-bye, Harvey. Be good to Phoebe, old fellow."

He choked up and could only nod his head.

"We can get out now, Mrs. Fairfax," said Rachel, appearing at the
door. "Do you think you can walk, or shall I call for a----"

"Oh, I can walk," said Nellie, with a touch of her old raillery. "I'm
not that far gone. Good-bye, Harvey. Didn't you hear me? Don't stand
there watching me like that