the fear that
she might leave me alone with no one to care for me. I can remember her
fear, too; always the fear that one of us might leave the other alone.
The recollection will always stand out in my memory. I shall never forget
her nor her sweetness. Afterward you came and my father. Only lately have
I understood all of--that part of my life and yours--but I knew he was my
father, and I wondered about you, because I could _not_ forget--my
mother!

"I learned to love you out of my great need and out of yours, too, I
realize now, and slowly, far too early, I saw that the happiest thing I
could do for you, who had given me so much, was to seem to forget and
rest only on one thought--you were my mother! Can I make you understand,
mother, what you are in my life--to-night?"

He kissed the cold hands clutching his hot ones, and with that touch the
barrier broke down forever between them. Travers took her in his arms,
but she did not burden his young strength as the earlier mother had done.
Even in her abandon, they supported each other bravely.

* * * * *

The days that followed were busy ones. Dick's tutor came from New York,
plans were laid, and there was small opportunity, just then, for the
red-rock shrine.

"You see," Dick said to Ledyard one afternoon, "I've never voiced it
before--it seemed presumptuous--but now that I'm going to have the life
of a fellow, I can choose a fellow's career. I want, more than anything
else, to be a physician."

Ledyard's eyes flashed, but he lowered his lids.

"It's a devil of a life, boy."

"I think it's the finest of all."

"No hours you can call your own; never daring to ask for the common
things a man cares for. You see, women are mostly too jealous and small
to understand a doctor's demands. They usually raise hell sooner or
later. I had a friend whose wife used to look through the keyhole of his
consulting-room door. A patient tripped over her once and it nearly cost
my friend his practice. Doctors are only half human anyway, and women
can't go halves with their husbands."

Dick laughed.

"Between a wife and a profession," he said, "give me the profession."

"Besides," Ledyard went on; "you get toughened and brutal; most of us
drink, when we don't do something worse."

"You don't."

"How do you know?"

"I do know, and I'm sure you wouldn't let any one else say that about
your associates; they're the noblest ever and you know it!"