blazed once--oh, an eternity ago, at a
street-car conductor. Her challenge rang like a sword out of a scabbard.

"We'll settle that before we go any further," she said. "Telephone for
James Randolph, or any other alienist you like. Let him take me and put
me in a sanatorium somewhere and keep me under observation as long as he
pleases, until he's satisfied whether I'm out of my mind or not. But
unless you're willing to do that, don't call me irresponsible."

He grew more reasonable as a belief in her complete seriousness and
determination sobered him. He made desperate efforts to recover his
self-control--to get his big, cool, fine mechanism of a mind into
action. But his mind, to his complete bewilderment, betrayed him. He'd
always looked at Rose before, through the lens of his emotions. But now
that he forced himself to look at her through the non-refracting window
from which he looked at the rest of the world, she compelled him again
and again to admit that she was right.

"Why shouldn't I be right?" she said with a woebegone smile. "These are
all just things I've learned from you."

After a long and rather angry struggle with himself, he made up his mind
to a compromise, and in one of their cooler talks together, he offered
it.

"We've both of us pretty well lost our sense of proportion, it seems to
me," he said. "This whole ghastly business started from my refusing to
let Mrs. Ruston go and get a nurse who'd allow you to be your own
nurse-maid. Well, I'm willing to give up completely on that point. You
can let Mrs. Ruston go as soon as you like and get a nurse who'll meet
with your ideas."

"You're doing that," said Rose thoughtfully, "rather than let me go
away. That's the way it is, isn't it?"

"Why, yes, of course," he admitted. "I was looking at things from the
children's point of view, and I thought I was right. From their point of
view, I still think so."

She drew in a long sigh and shook her head. "It won't do, Roddy. Can't
you see you're giving way practically under a threat--because I'll go
away if you don't? But think what it would mean if I did stay, on those
terms. The thing would rankle always. And if anything did happen to one
of the babies because the new nurse wasn't quite so good, you'd never
forgive me--not in all the world.

"And," she added a little later, "that would be just as true of any
other compromise. I mean like going and living in a flat and letting me
do the housework--any