harder than he used to be."

This talk was before dinner. She did not ask anything now about Carmen,
though she knew that Jack had fallen into his old habit of seeing much
of her. He was less and less at home, except at dinner-time, and he
was often restless, and, she saw, often annoyed. When he was at home he
tried to make up for his absence by extra tenderness and consideration
for Edith and the boy. And this effort, and its evidence of a double if
not divided life, wounded her more than the neglect. One night, when he
came home late, he had been so demonstrative about the baby that Edith
had sent the nurse out of the room until she could coax Jack to go into
his own apartment. His fits of alternate good-humor and depression she
tried to attribute to his business, to which he occasionally alluded
without confiding in her.

The next morning Father Damon came in about luncheon-time. He apologized
for not coming before since her return, but he had been a little upset,
and his work was more and more interesting. His eyes were bright and his
manner had quite the usual calm, but he looked pale and thinner, and so
exhausted that Edith ran immediately for a glass of wine, and began to
upbraid him for not taking better care of himself.

"I take too much care of myself. We all do. The only thing I've got to
give is myself."

"But you will not last."

"That is of little moment; long or short, a man can only give himself.
Our Lord was not here very long." And then Father Damon smiled, and said
"My dear friend, I'm really doing very well. Of course I get tired. Then
I come up again. And every now and then I get a lift. Did Jack tell you
about Henderson?"

"Yes. Wasn't it strange?"

"I never was more surprised. He sent for me to come to his office.
Without any circumlocution, he asked me how I was getting on, and,
before I could answer, he said, in the driest business way, that he had
been thinking over a little plan, and perhaps I could help him. He had a
little money he wanted to invest--RR"'In our mission chapel?' I asked.

"'No,' he said, without moving a muscle. 'Not that. I don't know much
about chapels, Father Damon. But I've been hearing what you are doing,
and it occurred to me that you must come across a good many cases not
in the regular charities that you could help judiciously, get them
over hard spots, without encouraging dependence. I'm going to put ten
thousand dollars into your hands, if you'll be bother