ttle from the child to the best amount of starch for
muslin frocks. Still, as a whole, she held herself fairly steady; and,
by the end of the third day, she was rejoiced to find the child was on
the gain. Openly and aloud, she proceeded to give testimony as
concerned this test case. To Brenton she talked of it incessantly, in
the hope of assisting his conversion to her standards. Unhappily,
Brenton, after talking with Doctor Keltridge, and heavily bribing the
nurse to hold her tongue, knew more about the causes of the cure than
Katharine did, and hence his conversion was not greatly expedited by
it.

It was a good ten days afterward, a good week after his talk with
Doctor Keltridge, that Brenton dropped in at the Keltridges', one
morning, to make his report upon the child. It was the ending of the
office hour; three or four patients still were awaiting their turns for
consultation. Accordingly, Olive, meeting Brenton on the steps, took
him to the library to wait.

"No use your going in there to sit with all the other germs," she told
him lightly, as she removed her hat pins and took off her hat. "Come in
here, and tell me how the boy is getting on. Better, I hope."

"Yes, better. Still, it is slow to get him up again. Babies are such
frail little things; a breath can send them up or down. Of course, I am
very anxious."

Olive took swift note of the singular number of the pronoun; its very
unconsciousness made it the more ominous. It was really that which
framed her answer.

"Yes; but you have a treasure of a nurse. Mrs. Prather tells me that
she is a host in herself."

As Olive spoke, she flattered herself that she had bridged the chasm
successfully. A glance at Brenton, though, assured her that he had been
momentarily aware of the existence of the chasm. Hastily she changed
the subject, too hastily, as it proved, to select her new theme with
care.

"My father has been telling me a little bit about your future plans,
Mr. Brenton."

"My plans?"

She mistook his question utterly.

"No need to worry," she said, with a sudden accent of hauteur. "Of
course, I never should think of speaking of them to any outsider. But
my father has a trick of talking most things over with me; we have been
alone together for so long."

"Of course. There is no reason that you shouldn't know. Besides, it
will be an open secret soon. As soon as things are settled with the
trustees, I shall resign."

"I am very sorry," Olive sai