! Run off with the pelican perhaps.

I settled down to an article about the Chinese situation in the Century,
and Sadie Kate roamed about at large examining everything she found,
like a curious little mongoose.

She commenced with his stuffed flamingo and wanted to know what made
it so tall and what made it so red. Did it always eat frogs, and had it
hurt its other foot? She ticks off questions with the steady persistency
of an eight-day clock.

I buried myself in my article and left Mrs. McGurk to deal with Sadie.
Finally, after she had worked half-way around the room, she came to a
portrait of a little girl occupying a leather frame in the center of the
doctor's writing desk--a child with a queer elf-like beauty, resembling
very strangely our little Allegra. This photograph might have been a
portrait of Allegra grown five years older. I had noticed the picture
the night we took supper with the doctor, and had meant to ask which of
his little patients she was. Happily I didn't!

"Who's that?" said Sadie Kate, pouncing upon it.

"It's the docthor's little gurrl."

"Where is she?"

"Shure, she's far away wit' her gran'ma."

"Where'd he get her?"

"His wife give her to him."

I emerged from my book with electric suddenness.

"His wife!" I cried.

The next instant I was furious with myself for having spoken, but I was
so completely taken off my guard. Mrs. McGurk straightened up and became
volubly conversational at once.

"And didn't he never tell you about his wife? She went insane six years
ago. It got so it weren't safe to keep her in the house, and he had to
put her away. It near killed him. I never seen a lady more beautiful
than her. I guess he didn't so much as smile for a year. It's funny he
never told you nothing, and you such a friend!"

"Naturally it's not a subject he cares to talk about," said I dryly, and
I asked her what kind of brass polish she used.

Sadie Kate and I went out to the garage and hunted up the kittens
ourselves; and we mercifully got away before the doctor came back.

But will you tell me what this means? Didn't Jervis know he was
married? It's the queerest thing I ever heard. I do think, as the McGurk
suggests, that Sandy might casually have dropped the information that he
had a wife in an insane asylum.

But of course it must be a terrible tragedy and I suppose he can't bring
himself to talk about it. I see now why he's so morbid over the question
of heredity--I dare s