was given at either place. Angela pretended
that Eugene had long been sick of his commercial career and was, owing
to untoward conditions in the Colfax Company, glad to return to his art
for a period. He might come home, but he was very busy. So she lied. But
she wrote Myrtle fully of her hopes and, more particularly, her fears.

There were a number of conferences between Eugene and Myrtle, for the
latter, because of their early companionship, was very fond of him. His
traits, the innocent ones, were as sweet to her as when they were boy
and girl together. She sought him out in his lovely room at Kingsbridge.

"Why don't you come and stay with us, Eugene?" she pleaded. "We have a
comfortable apartment. You can have that big room next to ours. It has a
nice view. Frank likes you. We have listened to Angela, and I think you
are wrong, but you are my brother, and I want you to come. Everything is
coming out right. God will straighten it out. Frank and I are praying
for you. There is no evil, you know, according to the way we think.
Now"--and she smiled her old-time girlish smile--"don't stay up here
alone. Wouldn't you rather be with me?"

"Oh, I'd like to be there well enough, Myrtle, but I can't do it now. I
don't want to. I have to think. I want to be alone. I haven't settled
what I want to do. I think I will try my hand at some pictures. I have a
little money and all the time I want now. I see there are some nice
houses over there on the hill that might have a room with a north window
that would serve as a studio. I want to think this thing out first. I
don't know what I'll do."

He had now that new pain in his groin, which had come to him first when
her mother first carried Suzanne off to Canada and he was afraid that he
should never see her any more. It was a real pain, sharp, physical, like
a cut with a knife. He wondered how it was that it could be physical and
down there. His eyes hurt him and his finger tips. Wasn't that queer,
too?

"Why don't you go and see a Christian Science practitioner?" asked
Myrtle. "It won't do you any harm. You don't need to believe. Let me get
you the book and you can read it. See if you don't think there is
something in it. There you go smiling sarcastically, but, Eugene, I
can't tell you what it hasn't done for us. It's done everything--that's
just all. I'm a different person from what I was five years ago, and so
is Frank. You know how sick I was?"

"Yes, I know."

"Why don