u and the papers--I hadn't thought of you--"

Blake, still dropping soft love pats on Annette's hair and shoulders,
looked into the eyes of the railroad king.

"I have earned that opinion, I suppose," he said. "I can't say that I
feel myself greatly superior to--to anyone here--tonight. But I've done
what I started to do. My name is Blake, Mr. Norcross--Dr. Walter H.
Blake--lately army surgeon in the Philippines, if you take my
profession as a voucher. My father was Rear-Admiral Blake, if family
will help establish me. Or, better, I intend to marry this girl as soon
as the license clerk will let me--and it isn't likely that I'll make
public anything that involves my wife and her people. Does that satisfy
you?"

Norcross ran his eye across them. It rested a moment upon Annette; and
a ghost of that late emotion, of which she had been the instrument,
flashed across his face.

"I guess I'm satisfied," he said.

Now Rosalie, in hat and wraps, stood at the door carrying her suit
case.

"Sorry to leave without notice, Mrs. Markham," she said, "but you
remember I haven't drawn no pay as housekeeper for doin' you up. I
guess we'd all better be goin'. Here's your hat, Dr. Blake, and a fur
coat and boots for Miss Markham."

Paula Markham, twirling the fifty thousand dollar check idly in her
fingers, rose from the piano stool.

"I wish you to listen, Dr. Blake," she said, "although you may not
believe it, I am really fond of Annette. The temptation to use her
became too strong. Believe me, I have intended for some time to stop
it. I had stopped it in fact, when this big fish came to my net. You
have seen, no more keenly than I, how hard it was on her nerves. Take
her away and give her a good time--she needs it. Indeed, had you come
into her life a little later, I should have welcomed you--for after I
found that she had no clairvoyance in her, I wanted her to be happy."

"You had an admirable way of showing it," responded Dr. Blake. "What
about putting aside earthly love for strength?"

"It kept off the undesirables," said Mrs. Markham, "and just then--with
this large order in hand--you were an undesirable. I shall not ask you
to let me see her for the present--indeed, I am going away--but years
from now, when you and she have softened--"

"When her will is built up--perhaps."

"May I kiss her?" For the first time in his experience of her, Blake
traced a note of feminine softness in Mrs. Markham's tones.

Blake took