They both laughed at that, and veered off to Bobs's impressions of the stable Jerry had rented. He had taken her over it, to help him in some decisions. "Bobs, the truth, now. Is it a wild mistake?" "It's perfectly charming, but it looks a bit plutocratic from my humble attic point of view." "It will probably ruin him to keep it up." "He has it all planned. I never knew Jerry to be so sane. He says he has several portrait orders now, and more coming." "Just when we wanted to get him away from portraits. Oh, Bobs, life gets so complicated, and mixed up," mourned Jane. "Don't I know that? You can't have babies for nothing in these days, Jane. He must have known that." "But he didn't want to have any. This is my baby, pure and simple, and I really ought to pay for having it." "You ridiculous person! I think you're paying your share. Jerry will be mad about it, when it's here. He's the kind. I know plenty of them. They make me furious, but they're all right in the end." "I wish he didn't have to see it until it was two years old. I've seen some of the tiny ones, Bobs, and they're awful." The next day Jane's time came. She asked them to telephone for Jerry, and when he arrived she seemed to find comfort in having him beside her. They talked and he read to her until she could not listen any longer. Just before she had her first hypodermic she turned to him. "Stay with me, Jerry." "Of course." "If anything happens to me, let Bobs take care of the baby." That was her last conscious sentence, and her next was: "Can't you hurry it up?" Then she vaguely saw the doctor giving something in a glass to a haggard-looking man, who sat by the bed. She finally made out that the man was Jerry. She heard the doctor say that he would be all right, so she went to sleep in peace. Seven hours later she opened her eyes. It was night. The nurse was bending over a bed in the corner. Her mind went back. "Is that Jerry?" she asked. "It's _little_ Jerry," the nurse said, and lifted a swaddled bundle and brought it to her. She looked at it long and seriously. "You're sure that's mine?" she said. "Very sure." "Take it away, please." "It's a grand baby, Mrs. Paxton." "Did my husband see it?" "Not yet. The doctor put him to bed." "Don't let him see it. Keep it covered up." "But he'll be wanting to see his son." "Not till he's better looking. It would be an awful shock to Jerry to see it now." Then she went to sleep again. When she woke, Jerry was beside her. "I'm sorry he's so plain," was her first word. "He's a fine boy, Jane," he said, with a gulp. Two days later, when Bobs was admitted, Jane confessed to her her shortcomings in the new rôle. "I didn't do it right at all, Bobs." "Why not?"