that he was
to know better as the days went by. She had always deferred to his
wisdom and his understanding, but she seemed to him mysteriously wise
this morning--no longer the old little sister Norma, but a new, sage,
keen-eyed woman, toward whom his whole being was flooded with humility
and awe and utter, speechless adoration.

At nine o'clock, when nurses and children began to come down to the
shore, they got to their feet, and wandered in to breakfast. And here,
to his delight, she was suddenly the old mad-cap Norma again, healthily
eager for ham and eggs and hot coffee, interested in everything, and
bewitchingly pretty in whatever position she took.

"I wish we had the old 'bus, Nono," Wolf said. He usually spoke of his
motor-car by this name. "They've been overhauling her in that Newark
place. She was to be ready--by George, she was ready yesterday!"

"We'll go over--I'll come over and meet you next Saturday," his young
wife promised, busy with rolls and marmalade, "and you'll take me to
lunch, and then we'll get the car, and go and take Rose and the baby for
a ride!"

"Norma," the man exclaimed, suddenly struck with a sense of utter
felicity, and leaning across the table to stop, for the minute, her
moving fingers with the pressure of his own, "you haven't any idea how
much I love you--I didn't know myself what it was going to mean! To have
you come over to the factory, and to have somebody say that Mrs.
Sheridan is there, and to go to lunch--Dearest, do you realize how
wonderful and how--well, how _wonderful_ it's going to be? Norma, I
can't believe it. I can't believe that this is what love means to
everybody. I can't believe that every man who marries his--his----"

"Girl," she supplied, laughing.

"Girl--but I didn't mean girl. I meant his ideal--the loveliest person
he ever knew," Wolf said, with a new quickness of tongue that she knew
was born of happiness. "I can't believe that just going to Childs'
restaurants, or taking the car out on Sunday, or any other fool thing
we do, means to any man what it's going to mean to me! I just--well, I
told you that. I just can't believe it!"

Two days later they came home for Sunday supper, and there was much
simple joy and laughter in the little city apartment. Aunt Kate of
course had fried chicken and coffee ice-cream for her four big children.
Harry Junior, awakening, was brought dewy and blinking to the table,
where his Aunt Norma kissed the tears from his