f his in his school days had
done. Did he chafe under ties that he loved but found that he must
flee from for awhile? Why did he and Kathryn not marry? Were they
considering her? Was she blinded?

Helen had been going over all this for days before the visit of
Kathryn, and during the night preceding the call she had awakened in
great pain; she had had the pain before and it had power to reduce her
to cowardice. It seemed to dare her, while she lay and suffered, to
confide in a physician!

There was an old memory of one who had suffered and died from----"Find
out the truth about me!" each dart of fire in the nerves cried, and
when the pain was over Helen Northrup had not dared to meet the
challenge and go to Manly or another! At first she tried to reason
with herself; then she compromised.

"After all, it is so fleeting. I'll rest, take better care of myself.
I'm not so young as I was--Nature is warning me; it may not be the
other."

Well, rest and care helped and the attacks were less frequent. That
gave a certain amount of hope.

When Kathryn entered the Workshop she found Helen on the couch instead
of at the flat-topped desk. She looked very white and blue-lipped but
she was smiling and happily glad to see her visitor. She was extremely
fond of Kathryn. Early in life she had prepared herself to accept and
love any woman her son might choose--she would never question the gift
he offered! But when Kathryn was offered, she was overjoyed. Kathryn
was part of the dear, familiar life; the daughter of old friends.
Helen Northrup felt that she was blessed beyond all mothers. The
thing, to her, seemed so exactly right. That the marriage did not take
place had hardly disturbed her. Kathryn was young, Brace was winning,
not only a home for the girl, but honour, and there was always time.
_Time_ is such a splendid heritage of youth and such a rare relic of
age.

"Why, my dearie-dear!" exclaimed Kathryn, kneeling beside the couch.
"What _is_ it?"

"Nothing, dear child; nothing more than a vicious touch of neuralgia."

"Have you seen Doctor Manly?" Kathryn patted the pillows and soothed,
by her touch, the hot forehead. Kathryn had the gift of healing in her
small, smooth hands, but not in her soul.

She had always been jealous of the love between Brace and his mother.
It was so unusual, so binding, so beyond her conception; but she could
hide her feelings until by and by.

"Now, dearie-dear, we _must_ send for Doctor