"He let her be ill yesterday--_all_ yesterday--and never sent for me to be with her!" I sobbed, feeling sure of sympathy here, if nowhere else. "Did you ever know of a mother being treated so before?" But Tom--even Tom--was unsympathetic and disappointing. He did not exclaim and protest on my behalf--did not seem to see how unnatural it was, and what a slight had been put upon me--but just patted my shoulder and stroked my hair, as if I were a mere fretful child. "If you ask me," he said, when I pressed him to speak his mind, "I must say that I think they showed their sense, Polly. And it's a great relief to me, my dear, on your account. You are so highly strung, pet, that you can't stand things like other people. You'd have been worse than Phyllis. Whereas a placid old Gamp like Mother Juke----" "_Tom!_" I broke in sharply. "_Who_ told you that Mother Juke was there?" "Nobody," said he, with a disconcerted look. "I only thought it likely that she might be. Was she not?" "She was. But I want to know why you concluded that she was, when I had not mentioned the fact?" "I didn't conclude it. I only knew that she was keeping an eye on the child, being so experienced, and living so handy." "How did you know?" "Ted told me--in a casual way--a good bit ago--I forget exactly when----" "Tom----" But Tom pulled out his watch hastily, plainly anxious to avoid the corner he felt himself being pushed into. "Look here, Polly, if you want to catch that train, and have to pack your bag before you start, there's not a minute to lose. Now that she knows you know, she'll be looking out for you--wanting to show her baby to her mother, bless her little heart! And a fine boy too. I'm glad the first is a boy--though I'm sure I don't know why I should be, for the girls are far and away the best, to my thinking--girls that grow up to be good and pretty women, treasures to the lucky men who get them--like you." Silly fellow! But he means it all. There are no empty pretences about Tom. To him there is one perfect being in the world, and that's his wife. It comforted me to feel that I was appreciated in one quarter, whatever I might be in others, and the mention of the baby made me forget everything but my longing to have him in my arms. "I will go at once," I said, "and you must come too, dearest. You must support me against the Juke faction. You must see that your child's mother has her rights." "Oh, rights be blowed!" he replied, rather rudely. "There's nobody will dream of disputing them. You don't know what a humble-minded, unselfish, dear old soul that mother of Ted's is; she wouldn't deny the rights of a sucking-pig--let alone an important person like you." "Your mind is always running on pigs," I laughed. "And I am sure that old creature is just like a great sow fattened up for the Agricultural Show. She grunts as she walks--if you can call it walking--and you almost want bullocks to get her out of an armchair when she has once sunk into it."