He was on his feet in a second, the chair he had sat in crashing backward with the violence of the sudden spring he made from it. But Katherine was quicker than he. She turned and had run from the room before he could prevent her. Madam Crewe let her breath escape in a long sigh of fatigue. "Dear me! What tiresome things the young are! As Slawson says, they’re hard as nails. You’d better reconsider, and ask _me_ to marry you instead of Katherine. I’m seasoned, if not mellowed. Yes, you’d much better marry me." Dr. Ballard smiled grimly. "Where my handsomer grandfather failed, how could _I_ hope to win?" he retorted, throwing her a glance of mock gallantry. But even as he looked, he saw her face blench, her figure sag together like a wilted plant. In a second he had her in his arms, carrying her to the couch, forgetting the personal in the professional, working over her with a will. A familiar figure appeared in the open doorway. Martha paused a moment, then came forward swiftly. "Another——?" she inquired, her hands busying themselves at once in obedience to the doctor’s silent orders. He shook his head. "No." Presently Martha felt a quiver of muscles beneath her fingers. Madam Crewe’s eyelids lifted. She made an effort to raise herself. "What’s all this—to-do?" she taxed her strength to demand. Dr. Ballard laid a restraining hand upon her shoulder. "Nothing. That is, nothing serious. You’d been over-exerting. Nature stepped in and shut down the shop for a moment." "Meaning—I lost consciousness? For how long? How came Slawson here? Did you send?" Martha answered in the doctor’s stead. "No’m. I just happened along. My Sabina, she took it into her head this afternoon there was no place like home—an’ she was glad of it. Her an’ me disagreed on some triflin’ matters, an’ she threatened she’d leave if I didn’t come to terms. I tol’ her: ’I’m sorry you feel that way, but if you concluded you must go, why, I s’pose you must. We all enjoyed your s’ciety for the last five years, but the best o’ friends must part, an’ far be it from me to stand in your way, if you perfer to look for another situation, an’ think you can better yourself. I’ll do up your things for you, for luck!’ So I did an’ out she stepped, as bold as brass, with her clo’es done up in a bundle slung on the end of a old gulf-stick Mr. Ronald he give her brother Sammy, to carry over her shoulder. She ain’t been gone above three hours, but I thought while I was bringin’ up the evenin’s milk, I’d ask if, maybe, she’d blew in here?" Madam Crewe compressed her lips. "No. Even your baby would know better than to come here for a happy home," she said with a caustic smile. "On your way back, you’d better look for _my_ child, who, also, has probably run away. It seems to be the fashion nowadays for youngsters to defy their elders." Dr. Ballard gave Martha a look.