o
Clemency, subsided himself into bewildered silence, and ate with very
little appetite. There were chops and potatoes and peas, and apple-pie,
for luncheon. When it came to the pie Emma served Clemency and Doctor
Gordon, and deliberately omitted James. Nobody seemed to notice it,
although James felt sure that the omission was intentional. He felt
himself inwardly amused at the antagonism which could take such a form,
and went without his pie uncomplainingly, while Gordon and Clemency ate
theirs. The dog at this juncture came slinking into the room and close
to James, who gave him a lump of sugar from the bowl which happened to
stand near him. At once Emma took the bowl and moved it to another part
of the table out of his reach. James felt a strong inclination to laugh.

The dog sat up and begged for more sugar, and James, when they all left
the table, coolly took a handful of sugar from the bowl and carried it
into the office, the dog leaping at his side. Emma slammed the
dining-room door behind him. Clemency, without a look at him,
immediately ran upstairs to her own room. Gordon and James sat down in
the office as usual for a smoke until James should start upon his
afternoon rounds. Gordon asked him a few questions about the patients
whom he had seen that morning, but in a listless, abstracted fashion,
then he spoke of those whom James would see that afternoon. "You had
better take the team," he said.

"Clemency is going with me," James said.

Gordon looked at him with faint surprise. "I think you must be
mistaken," he said. "Clemency came to me just before luncheon and asked
if I had any objections to her spending a few days with Annie Lipton. I
told her we could get on perfectly well without her, and Aaron is going
to drive her over. She will have to take a suit-case. I knew you had to
go in another direction, and could not take her. I thought the change
would do her good. Didn't she say anything to you about it?"

"I think it will do her good. She needs a little change," James replied
evasively. As he spoke Aaron came out of the stable leading the bay mare
harnessed to a buggy.

"She is going right away," said Gordon, looking a little puzzled. He had
hardly finished speaking before Clemency's voice was heard in the hall.
It rang rather hard, but quite clearly. "Good-by," she called out.

"Good-by," responded Gordon and James together. Gordon looked at James,
astonished that he did not go out to assist Clemen