ied. And with a glance into Joe's eyes, the second doctor turned
to the first, muttered, "Hold this man. He's crazy "--and went into the
bedroom.

It was long before Ethel forgot the look that appeared on Joe's face
when the second physician came out and said:

"I'm sorry. There's nothing I can do."

She went in with Joe to Amy. And her sister looked so relieved, the
lines of pain all smoothed away. Heavily drugged, she was nearly
asleep. Her hand felt for Joe's and closed on it, and with a little
nestling movement of her soft lovely body she murmured smiling:

"Oh, so tired and sleepy now."

Again, in spite of her grief and fright, Ethel noticed how her sister's
hand closed on that of her husband. In the months and years that
followed, she recalled it vividly so many times.

Joe sat there long after Amy was dead.

The doctor signed to Ethel to come into the living-room.

"Are you to be in charge?" he asked. She looked at him and shivered.
She felt a pang of such loneliness as she had never known before.

"I know nobody--nothing--I don't know how you arrange," she said. "I've
only been a month in town."

The doctor gave her a curious look of pity and uneasiness. It was as
though he had told her, "I'm sorry, but don't count on me for help. I'm
busy. This is New York, you know." He said:

"I'll see to the undertaker." She shivered again, and he added, "Don't
you know some older woman here?"

This reminded her of the dinner which Amy was to have given that night.
A lump rose in her throat. She waited a moment and then she said:

"Yes, I know of several."

"That's good. You'd better send for them." And soon afterward he
hurried away.

But just as Ethel was rising to go to the telephone, there was a ring at
the door. She opened it, and a tall man, rather stooped, with iron grey
hair and moustache, a lean but rather heavy face and deep-set impassive
eyes, came in and said:

"I'm Joe's partner--Nourse, you know. How is it going? Better?"

"She's dead."

"God!" With that low exclamation, she thought she saw a gleam of shock
but then of triumph come in his eyes. He went into Joe's room, and
closed the door; and with a mingling of relief and of sharp hostility
she felt at once how she was shut out. Who was she but a stranger now?
She thought of Amy, and with a quick cry Ethel began to walk up and down
in a scared hunted fashion. She stopped with a sudden resolute
clenching of her teeth, and said, "Now I'v