"Good-night, Miss Vail--and good-by temporarily," he said. "I suppose I
shall be gone four or five days; I'm going up on the morning train, you
know. I wish you'd go as often as you can to see Naida in the car while
I'm away--will you? Her condition worries me, though she insists that
she is completely cured, and she will not listen to any advice. I have
an idea that she has overtaxed herself--apart from her hip disease, her
heart was in a very critical state. You'll go to her, won't you?"

"Yes," said Helena, "of course, I will."

Their voices dropped lower, and for a moment only a murmur reached
Madison; and then, with another "Good-night, Miss Vail," Thornton
started back across the lawn.

Madison could hear Helena fumbling with the door latch, and by the time
she had succeeded in opening the door the retreating figure of Thornton
was a safe distance away. Madison called in a whisper:

"Here, Helena! Wait a minute!"

There was a quick, startled little exclamation from the doorway, and
Helena came out hurriedly from the porch.

"Who's there?" she cried in a low voice. "Oh"--as they stepped into
view--"you, Doc, and the Flopper! What were you doing behind that
trellis?"

"Keeping out of Thornton's road," said Madison. "So he's going away, eh?
What for?"