d sagely added, "My daughter's a
queer woman, Baird--she's modern, very modern. But she's still a woman, you
understand--and so she's jealous--of her job." But A. Baird was in no
joking mood.

"She's narrow," he said sternly. "That's what's the matter with Deborah.
She's so centered on her job she can't see anyone else's. She thinks I'm
doing all this work solely in order to help her school--when if she'd use
some imagination and try to put herself in my shoes, she'd see the chance
it's giving _me_!"

"How do you mean?" asked Roger, looking a bit bewildered.

"Why," said Baird with an impatient fling of his hand, "there are men in my
line all over the country who'd leave home, wives and children for the
chance I've blundered onto here! A hospital fully equipped for research, a
free hand, an opportunity which comes to one man in a million! But can she
see it? Not at all! It's only an annex to her school!"

"Yes," said Roger gravely, "she's in a pretty unnatural state. I think she
ought to get married, Baird--" To his friendly and disarming twinkle Baird
replied with a rueful smile.

"You do, eh," he growled. "Then tell her to plan her wedding to come before
her funeral." As he rose to go, Roger took his hand.

"I'll tell her," he said. "It's sound advice. Good-night, my boy, I wish
you luck."

A few moments later he heard in the hall their brief good-nights to each
other, and presently Deborah came in. She was not looking quite herself.

"Why are you eyeing me like that?" his daughter asked abruptly.

"Aren't you letting him do a good deal for you?"

Deborah flushed a little:

"Yes, I am. I can't make him stop."

Her father hesitated.

"You could," he said, "if you wanted to. If you were sure," he added
slowly, "that you didn't love him--and told him so." He felt a little
panic, for he thought he had gone too far. But his daughter only turned
away and restlessly moved about the room. At last she came to her father's
chair:

"Hadn't you better leave this to me?"

"I had, my dear, I most certainly had. I was all wrong to mention it," he
answered very humbly.

* * * * *

From this night on, Baird changed his tack. Although soon busy with the
plans for the hospital, to be built at once, he said little about it to
Deborah. Instead, he insisted on taking her off on little evening sprees
uptown.

"Do you know what's the matter with both of us?" he said to her one
evening. "