king at the
pathetically beautiful face of the woman before him.

"You'd never get any of your own philosophy second hand," said he at
length.

She smiled faintly. "No, I'm not given to hysteria, if that's what you
want to say."

"Women do strange things. But not your sort--no."

"You don't call this strange--what I've done?"

"No, it was inevitable--for you."

She seated herself on the bed, hands in lap. How fine it was to hear a
voice like his, to meet a brain like his, keen, broad, educated, here
in this place!

"No, you've not read books to get your own philosophy of life. So you
can reason about things."

"I don't think you're very merciful to me," said Mary Gage.

"Why, yes. God has shut your eyes to our new and distracted world.
This new world?--you ought to be thankful that you cannot see it. I
wish I did not have to see it. But you don't want to hear me talk?
You don't want philosophizing? I'm afraid I'm not very happy in my
philosophy after all."

He rose, hands in pockets, and tried to pace up and down the narrow
little room.

"Don't move the chairs, please," said she. "I know where they all are
now."

He laughed, and again seated himself.

"You know why I've come up? I suppose Sim has told you that we're
going to have a soldier post here in your yard?"

"Yes, I was glad of that--it seemed like company."

"It will make you feel a great deal safer. And did your husband tell
you that I'm going to be a person of consequence now? I'm a Major
again, not just plain doctor."

"There must have been reason. The Government is alarmed?"

"Yes. Our chief engineer Waldhorn--well, he's still a German-American,
to put it mildly. Told me three times he had bought fifteen thousand
dollars' worth of Liberty Bonds. I fear German-Americans buying bonds!
And I know Waldhorn's a red Socialist--Bolshevik--if they make them."

"If they doubt him, why don't they remove him?"

"If he knew he was suspected--bang! up might go the dam. I hardly need
say that you're to keep absolutely quiet about all this. I tell you
because I can trust you. As for me, I'm a pretty busy little doctor
right now--cook and the captain bold, and the mate of the Nancy brig.
Within a week we'll have a telephone line strung up here. My men will
be here to-morrow morning to begin work with the building. Suppose I
had a chance to get you a woman companion out here. Would you be glad?"

"Please don't jest."

"Well,