, my dearest wife; but the same high authority, if I remember
rightly, bids us do our own business first. But what has entailed such
an enormous amount of correspondence on Miss Danvers?"

"Only her anxiety to do good. She is secretary to some half-dozen
ladies' societies for meeting all sorts of wants and troubles.--Ah! I
see that cruel smile again on your face; but positively you must not
laugh at me nor her. I am sure she is one of the noblest women I know."

"I won't question it for a moment, but I wish she could contrive to keep
her benevolence within such reasonable limits as would allow her to
transact her own business without taxing her friends. Anything more on
Tuesday?"

"Nothing more, dearest, on Tuesday, away from home; but of course you
know that I have to work hard at my essay, my music, my drawing, and my
little poem. I see you shrug your shoulders, but you must not be hard
upon me. Why was I taught all these things if I am to make no use of
them?"

"Why, indeed?" were the words which rose to the doctor's lips, but he
did not utter them. He only smiled sadly, and asked, "What of
Wednesday?"

"There, John, perhaps you had better look for yourself," she said,
rather piqued at his manner, and taking a little card from her pocket-
book, she handed it to him.

Pressing her left hand lovingly in his own, he took the card from her,
and read:--

"`Engagements. Wednesday, 11 a.m. Meet the professor at Mrs
Maskelyne's.'--Mrs Maskelyne! That's your strong-minded friend who
goes in for muscular Christianity and vivisection! I'm very glad we
don't keep a pet terrier or spaniel!"--"Ah, John, you may laugh, but
she's a wonderful woman!"--"`Wonderful!' perhaps so, dear Agnes,--an
`awful' woman, _I_ should say; that's only a term expressive of a
different kind of admiration.--`Concert in the evening.'

"Now for Thursday. `At 12 o'clock, visit the hospital. Jews' meeting
in the evening.'

"`Friday, 10 a.m. Club. Afternoon, district visiting.'

"`Saturday, 3 p.m. Mothers' meeting.'--Why, this mothers' meeting is
something quite new. I thought the vicar's wife took that."--"So she
does, John; but, poor thing, she is so overworked, that I could not
refuse when she asked me to take it for her during the next three
months."

"And is this sort of thing to go on perpetually?" asked the doctor in a
despairing voice.

"Why should it not, dearest husband? You would not have your wife a
drone in th