of livelihood, of course, disappeared."

"Yes,"--a little one-sided smile,--"and so did our money. And then, of
course,"--she slightly lifted and waved her hand.

"You had to live," said Dr. Sevier, sincerely.

She smiled again, with abstracted eyes. "We thought we'd like to," she
said. "I didn't mind the loss of the things so much,--except the little
table we ate from. You remember that little round table, don't you?"

The visitor had not the heart to say no. He nodded.

"When that went there was but one thing left that could go."

"Not your bed?"

"The bedstead; yes."

"You didn't sell your bed, Mrs. Richling?"

The tears gushed from her eyes. She made a sign of assent.

"But then," she resumed, "we made an excellent arrangement with a good
woman who had just lost her husband, and wanted to live cheaply, too."

"What amuses you, madam?"

"Nothing great. But I wish you knew her. She's funny. Well, so we moved
down-town again. Didn't cost much to move."

She would smile a little in spite of him.

"And then?" said he, stirring impatiently and leaning forward. "What
then?"

"Why, then I worked a little harder than I thought,--pulling trunks
around and so on,--and I had this third attack."

The Doctor straightened himself up, folded his arms, and muttered:--

"Oh!--oh! _Why_ wasn't I instantly sent for?"

The tears were in her eyes again, but--

"Doctor," she answered, with her odd little argumentative smile, "how
could we? We had nothing to pay with. It wouldn't have been just."

"Just!" exclaimed the physician, angrily.

"Doctor," said the invalid, and looked at him.

"Oh--all right!"

She made no answer but to look at him still more pleadingly.

"Wouldn't it have been just as fair to let me be generous, madam?" His
faint smile was bitter. "For once? Simply for once?"

"We couldn't make that proposition, could we, Doctor?"

He was checkmated.

"Mrs. Richling," he said suddenly, clasping the back of his chair as if
about to rise, "tell me,--did you or your husband act this way for
anything I've ever said or done?"

"No, Doctor! no, no; never! But"--

"But kindness should seek--not be sought," said the physician, starting
up.

"No, Doctor, we didn't look on it so. Of course we didn't. If there's
any fault it's all mine. For it was my own proposition to John, that as
we _had_ to seek charity we should just be honest and open about it. I
said, 'John, as I need the best attention, and as