ise their feelings. She was conscious at the
moment, without in the least being able to guess at the cause of the
friction between the two men, of an intense antipathy to Dr. James Van
Horn. And at the same moment she longed to be able to make her husband
look as cool and unconcerned as the other man was looking, as he drove
away with a backward nod--which Red Pepper did not return!

It was not the time to speak,--she knew that well enough. Besides, though
she was not the subject of his resentment, she did not care to incur any
more of the results of it than could be helped. She let Burns drop her at
a corner near the shopping district without asking him to take her to the
precise place she meant to visit first, and left him without making any
request that he return for her,--a courtesy he was usually eager to
insist upon, even though it took him out of his way.

At night, when he returned, she met him with the hope that he would be
able to spend the evening with her,--a thing which had not happened for
a week. Her arms were about his neck as she put the question, and he
looked down into her face with again a slight softening of his austere
expression. She had seen at the first glance that he was not only still
unhappy, he was suffering profound fatigue.

"No, I've got to go back to that infernal case." It was the first time he
had disclosed even a hint as to what was the matter.

"The one where I stopped with you this morning?"

"Yes. Each time I go I vow I'll not go again. To-night, if I find things
as they were two hours ago, I'll discharge myself, and that will end it."

"Red, you're just as tired and worn as you can be. Come in to the big
couch, and let me make you comfortable, until dinner. You'll eat the
better for it--and you need it."

He yielded, reluctantly,--he who was always so willing to submit to her
ministrations. But he threw himself upon the couch with a long sigh, and
let her arrange the pillows under his head. She sat down beside him.

"Can't you tell me something about it, dear?" she suggested. "Nothing I
ought not to know, of course, but the thing which makes you so miserable.
It can't be because the case is going wrong,--that wouldn't affect you
just as this is doing."

"You've seen it, I suppose. I thought I'd kept in, before you." Burns
shut his eyes, his brows frowning.

She could have smiled, but did not. "You have--only of course I have seen
that something was wearing you--keeping y