"Doubtless! doubtless!" Violet flicked the ash delicately from her
cigarette. "I am sure he is the soul of virtue. But how comes it that
the devoted Muriel can tear herself from his side to go a-larking on the
Continent with the grim and masterful Dr. Jim?"

"Oh, I thought you knew that. It is for the child's benefit. Poor little
Reggie has a delicate chest, and Redlands doesn't altogether suit him.
Dad positively ordered him abroad, and when Muriel demurred about taking
him out of Dad's reach (she has such faith in him, you know), he
arranged to go too if Nick would leave Redlands and come and help me
keep house. You see, Dad couldn't very well leave me to look after Dr.
Wyndham singlehanded."

"My dear, of course not!" Up went the violet eyes in horror at the bare
suggestion. "You scandalize me. An innocent child like you! Not to be
thought of for a moment! Rather than that, I would have come and shared
the burden with you myself!"

"That's exactly what I have come to ask you to do," said Olga eagerly.
"Do say you can! You can't think how welcome you will be!"

"My dear, you're so impetuous!" Violet was just a year her junior, but
this fact was never recognized. "Pray give me time to deliberate. You
forget that I also have a family to consider. What will Bruce say if I
desert him at a moment's notice?"

"I'm sure Bruce won't mind. Can't we go and ask him?"

"Presently, my child. He is not at home just at present. Neither is Mrs.
Bruce." The daintiest grimace in the world testified to the opinion