Robert. Only one thing in
world would please her more," said Kate.

"What's that?" asked Robert.

Kate looked him in the eye, and smiled.

"Oh," he said. "But there is nothing in it!"

"Except TALK, that worries and humiliates Nancy Ellen," said Kate.

"Kate," he said suddenly, "if you were in my shoes, what would you do?"

"The next time I got a phone call, or a note from Mrs. Southey, and she
was having one of those terrible headaches, I should say: 'I'm
dreadfully sorry, Mrs. Southey, but a breath of talk that might be
unpleasant for you, and for my wife, has come to my ear, so I know
you'll think it wiser to call Dr. Mills, who can serve you better than
I. In a great rush this afternoon. Good-bye!' THAT is what I should
do, Robert, and I should do it quickly, and emphatically. Then I
should interest Nancy Ellen in her car for a time, and then I should
keep my eyes open, and the first time I found in my practice a sound
baby with a clean bill of health, and no encumbrances, I should have it
dressed attractively, and bestow it on Nancy Ellen as casually as I did
the car. And in the meantime, love her plenty, Robert. You can never
know how she FEELS about this; and it's in no way her fault. She
couldn't possibly have known; while you would have married her just the
same if you had known. Isn't that so?"

"It's quite so. Kate, I think your head is level, and I'll follow your
advice to the letter. Now you have 'healed my lame leg,' as the dog
said in McGuffey's Third, what can I do for THIS poor dog?"

"Nothing," said Kate. "I've got to hold still, and take it. Life will
do the doing. I don't want to croak, but remember my word, it will do
plenty."

"We'll come often," he said as he turned to go back.

Kate slowly walked up the path, dreading to meet Adam. He evidently
had been watching for her, for he came around the corner of the house,
took her arm, and they walked up the steps and into the living room
together. She looked at him; he looked at her. At last he said: "I'm
afraid that a good deal of this is my fault, Mother."

"How so?" asked Kate, tersely.

"I guess I betrayed your trust in me," said Adam, heavily. "Of course
I did all my work and attended to things; but in the evening after work
was over, the very first evening on the way home we stopped to talk to
Henry at the gate, and he got in and came on down. We could see Milly
at their gate, and I wanted her, I wanted her so much