it over in her mind with a growing sense of
bewilderment.

Both the old lady and Dr. Sartorius remained in ignorance of the
regrettable happening. Since the patient, miraculous though it
appeared, suffered no bad effects from the shock, Esther had deemed it
the wise course to say nothing about it. After all, it was not the
easiest thing in the world to tell tales on your patient's own wife,
and to do so could only increase the latter's dislike. Better let well
alone.

Two days more went by uneventfully. About three o'clock on the second
afternoon, Esther put on her coat and hat and set out for a walk.
Roger had not been home for lunch, but to her surprise she found him in
the hall, wearing an old tweed overcoat, and engaged with a somewhat
angry air in ramming tobacco down into the bowl of a pipe. It was the
first time she had seen him smoke a pipe. It gave him a different sort
of look.

"Hello! Going for a walk?"

"Yes, I need exercise."

"So do I. I'll come with you if I may. I was just going to start out
alone."

"Wouldn't you rather go alone?"

He looked at her, scorning to reply, then jammed the pipe in his mouth
and reached for his hat and a stick. His chin was particularly
aggressive, his blue eyes smouldered ominously. She forebore to
question him, and they left the house and walked briskly along the road
for two hundred yards before either attempted to break the silence. At
last, with his pipe-stem between his teeth, he spoke.

"I wish," he said in a hard voice, "that people would not tell lies
simply for the sake of lying. A good, thumping lie in the right place
is a thing I thoroughly uphold. But pointless untruths irritate me
beyond measure."

She stole a look at him.

"Perhaps," she ventured, "the person who has incurred your displeasure
believes in the saying of Pudd'nhead Wilson--'Truth is the most
valuable thing we have. Let us economise it!'"

His face relaxed for a moment, then stiffened again.

"No, but hang it, Esther, I'm damned annoyed."

"That's quite apparent."

He strode on again in angry silence, then, with a sudden laugh, became
more communicative.

"It's nothing much. I might as well tell you. By the way, I suppose
as a nurse you are quite in the habit of having people confide in you,
aren't you? Though I hope you realise I don't bare my soul to you
because of your official position. It's more because you happen to
have lashes that turn back in a certa