ul. Good Lord, I
wonder what it must have been to him when it came so precious near to
putting me out of business. I thought I was dying at half-past four. I
never expected to live to see Mr. Marraville out of the operating-room.
Had to take something for medicinal purposes. I knew all along that Braden
could do the job like a--"

"Where is he now?"

"Last I heard of him he was back in his room with the house doctor and--"

"I mean Braden."

"What are you sore about, Anne?" complained Simmy. Her voice had sounded
rather querulous to him. "I thought you meant the patient. Brady is up
there, too, I guess. Sh! I can't say anything more. A lot of reporters,
are coming this way."

The morning papers announced that James Marraville had passed a
comfortable night and that not only Dr. Thorpe but other physicians who
were attending him expressed the confident opinion that if he continued to
gain throughout the day and if nothing unforeseen occurred there was no
reason why he should not recover. He had rallied from the anaesthetic, his
heart was good, and there was no temperature. Members of the family were
extremely hopeful. His two sons-in-law--who were spokesmen for the other
members of the family--were united in the opinion that Dr. Thorpe had
performed a miracle. Dr. Thorpe, himself, declined to be interviewed. He
referred the newspaper men to the other surgeons and physicians who were
interested in the case.

There was an underlying note of dismay, rather deftly obscured, in all of
the newspaper accounts, however. Not one of them appeared to have
recovered from the surprise that had thrown all of their plans out of
order. They had counted on James Marraville's death and had prepared
themselves accordingly. There were leading editorials in every office, and
columns of obituary matter; and there were far from vague allusions to the
young doctor who performed the operation. And here was the man alive! It
was really more shocking than if he had died, as he was expected to do. It
is no wonder, therefore, that the first accounts were almost entirely
without mention of the doctor who had upset all of their calculations. He
hadn't lived up to the requirements. The worst of it all was that Mr.
Marraville's failure to expire on the operating table forever deprived
them of the privilege of saying, invidiously, that young Doctor Thorpe had
been called in as the last resort. It would take them a day or two, no
doubt, to adjust t