"I've been out of town again for a week," he said. "Henry kept me posted." Then he was going, but Catherine caught at his arm. "Bill"--in a sharp whisper--"do you think it was my fault? Do you?" "Catherine!" He was laughing at her, comfortingly. "What rot!" "Is it?" She sighed. "You're tired." His hand enclosed hers warmly for a moment. "Henry says you've been wonderful, but not wise----" There was a clatter outside the door, a firm, "Now wait one second, Letty!" Bill pulled the door open; Letty, her pointed face framed in a red hood, Marian, pulling her tarn off her tousled dark hair, Miss Kelly behind them. "Oh, Mr. Bill!" Marian hugged his arm, and Letty clambered onto her go-duck that she might reach his hand, with a lusty, "'Lo, Bill!" "Come back and play with us, Mr. Bill," Marian cajoled him, her head on one side. But Bill, grinning at her, eluding Letty's grasp, stepped into the elevator and was gone. "'S'at Marian?" Spencer was shouting. "Oh, Marian, you come see what I got." Marian darted ahead. As Catherine, with Letty's damp mittened hand in hers, came to the door of the children's room, she heard Spencer determinedly, "No, you can't touch it! It's too delicut. Mr. Bill told me it was too delicut. You keep your hands off it! It's just lent to me." "Who said I wanted to touch your ole radium?" "It isn't radium, Marian. Radio. And you were touching it." "Marian, dear, come take your wraps off." Miss Kelly had stowed Letty's go-duck in the hall closet, and followed Catherine. "You musn't bother Spencer." "He's well now, isn't he?" She lagged into the bedroom. Catherine sat on one of the cots, watching. She had scarcely seen her two daughters since she had come back. She had known they were well, she had heard Miss Kelly often sidetracking them with, "No, your mamma is busy and you mustn't disturb her. Poor little Spencer needs her and you don't." Miss Kelly had lifted Letty into a chair and was unbuttoning the red coat when Letty set up a strident wail, and stiffened into a ramrod which slid out from under Miss Kelly's fingers. "Want my Muvver!" she shrieked. "Not you!" She flung herself on the edge of the bed beside Catherine, with gyrations of her red-gaitered plump legs. Catherine, laughing, dragged her up beside her. Letty snuggled against her, peering up with her blandishing smile. "All right, old lady." Catherine tugged off the tiny rubbers, stripped down the knit leggings, noticing absently the promptness with which Marian carried her own cloak and tarn to the closet and hung them away. Why, Miss Kelly had taught her to be orderly, she marveled. Then she saw Letty's expression of sidewise expectancy under long lashes. Miss Kelly was looking at her gravely. "Letty tired." She drooped into Catherine's enclosing arm like a sleepy kitten. "That's too bad." Miss Kelly was unruffled. "Then you can't show your mamma your own hook that you can reach."