Fort was kindly. There was something positively reassuring about his
kind of audacity.

Presently the mother mentioned Ernol, the radical; seemingly these
people had been privately informed of what Powart was keeping from
the workers. Fort commented:

"I was really frightened when I heard of it. Why, if that fellow's
philosophy is listened to, we all may have to work for a living!"
His laughter rang above the rest; then he thought of Mona. "Oh, I
say, I quite forgot, I assure you."

"Don't mention it," returned the surgeon humorously. "I don't mind
telling you that this service of mine is largely camouflage. I
belong to the Delusion Brigade."

Fort was greatly surprised. "You, a volunteer?"

"Quite so. There must always be some one of our class to whom people
can look, whenever they suspect that we are not democratic. Besides,
I have always fancied surgery." She told briefly of her work.

"Why, you are a famous person!" declared the athlete.

"You make me ashamed; I do nothing at all but amuse myself."

"Which is quite as well, Mr. Fort," the mother assured him. "I tried
my best to keep Mona out of this; a social conquest is what I had
planned for her. But she had set her mind on surgery; so--" And she
left the rest to Fort's imagination.