t your knowledge and told you afterwards--or not at
all."

"Not at all. Oh, doctor! My Suzanne!"

"Mrs. Dale, I looked after you and your mother before you and Suzanne. I
know something about human nature and your family characteristics. Your
husband was a very determined man, as you will remember. Suzanne may
have some of his traits in her. She is a very young girl, you want to
remember, very robust and vigorous. How old is this Witla man?"

"About thirty-eight or nine, doctor."

"Um! I suspected as much. The fatal age. It's a wonder you came through
that period as safely as you did. You're nearly forty, aren't you?"

"Yes, doctor, but you're the only one that knows it."

"I know, I know. It's the fatal age. You say he is in charge of the
United Magazines Corporation. I have probably heard of him. I know of
Mr. Colfax of that company. Is he very emotional in his temperament?"

"I had never thought so before this."

"Well, he probably is. Thirty-eight to thirty-nine and eighteen or
nineteen--bad combination. Where is Suzanne?"

"Upstairs in her room, I fancy."

"It might not be a bad thing if I talked to her myself a little, though
I don't believe it will do any good."

Mrs. Dale disappeared and was gone for nearly three-quarters of an hour.
Suzanne was stubborn, irritable, and to all preliminary entreaties
insisted that she would not. Why should her mother call in outsiders,
particularly Dr. Woolley, whom she knew and liked. She suspected at once
when her mother said Dr. Woolley wanted to see her that it had something
to do with her case, and demanded to know why. Finally, after much
pleading, she consented to come down, though it was with the intention
of showing her mother how ridiculous all her excitement was.

The old doctor who had been meditating upon the inexplicable tangle,
chemical and physical, of life--the blowing hither and thither of
diseases, affections, emotions and hates of all kinds, looked up
quizzically as Suzanne entered.

"Well, Suzanne," he said genially, rising and walking slowly toward her,
"I'm glad to see you again. How are you this morning?"

"Pretty well, doctor, how are you?"

"Oh, as you see, as you see, a little older and a little fussier,
Suzanne, making other people's troubles my own. Your mother tells me you
have fallen in love. That's an interesting thing to do, isn't it?"

"You know, doctor," said Suzanne defiantly, "I told mama that I don't
care to discuss this, a