"I must see Doctor Kline and go over the case with him more
carefully," he remarked at length. "I shall then be able to see with
more clearness what is best. The fact that I feel so averse to
operating myself comes almost as a warning; and if no change should
occur in my feelings, I shall, with the consent of the family,
transfer the knife to Doctor Kline."






CHAPTER XVI.





MRS. CARLTON was a favorite in the circle where she moved; and when
it became known that she would have to submit to a serious operation
in order to save her life, she became an object of painful interest
to her many friends. Among the most intimate of these was Mrs.
Birtwell, who, as the time approached for the great trial, saw her
almost every day.

It was generally understood that Doctor Hillhouse, who was the
family physician, would perform the operation. For a long series of
years he had held the first rank as a surgeon. But younger men were
coming forward in the city, and other reputations were being made