hard. Now if they should happen to--fancy you!" In speechless
expressiveness his eyes swept estimatingly over sun-parlors, stables,
garages, Italian gardens, rapturous blue-shadowed mountain views--every
last intimate detail of the mansion's wonderful equipment.

Like a drowning man feeling his last floating spar wrenched away from
him, the White Linen Nurse dug her finger-nails frantically into every
reachable wrinkle and crevice of the heavily upholstered seat.

"Oh, but sir, I don't want to go in!" she protested passionately. "I
tell you, sir, I'm quite done with all that sort of thing! It would
break my heart! It would! Oh, sir, this worrying about people for whom
you've got no affection,--it's like sledding without any snow! It grits
right down on your naked nerves. It--"

Before the Senior Surgeon's glowering, incredulous stare her heart began
to plunge and pound again, but it plunged and pounded no harder, she
realized suddenly, than when in the calm, white hospital precincts she
was obliged to pass his terrifying presence in the corridor and murmur
an inaudible "Good Morning" or "Good Evening." "After all, he's nothing
but a man--nothing but a man--nothing but a mere--ordinary--two-legged
man," she reasoned over and over to herself. With a really desperate
effort she smoothed her frightened face into an expression of utter
guilelessness and peace and smiled unflinchingly right into the Senior
Surgeon's rousing anger as she had once seen an animal-trainer smile
into the snarl of a crouching tiger.

"Th--ank you very much!" she said. "But I think I won't go in,
sir,--thank you! My--my face is still pretty tired!"