"Yes, yes, I know. He is a doctor--I mean--" Miss Theodosia caught herself up firmly. One at least must steer a clear course. "He was goin' past," Evangeline put in, "an' I asked him, if he uster be a doctor, wouldn't he please to be one now an' 'xamine Elly Precious's spots." "Measles," Stefana said briefly and hopelessly. "Shall we send for Mother, or what'll we do? Aunt Sarah isn't knitting." "Aunt Sarah--" began poor Miss Theodosia. Would she ever get used to little Flaggs? Evangeline broke in gloomily with explanation. "No'm, not knittin', Mother wrote Stefana. Kind of--of unravelin' instead. An' Mother's caught it." Miss Theodosia turned appealing eyes to Stefana. "Her knee's bad, too. Maybe it's just rheumatism, but she borrows Aunt Sarah's crutches when they're empty. I don't see how she'd get home--" "Don't send for her!" Miss Theodosia directed. Some inner voice seemed to say it through her lips. The same dictate from within prompted the rest. "Bring the baby over here. Bring all his nightgowns. I'll take care of him. It won't do for all you children to come down. Does the Reform--does the doctor think you can have caught them already? I don't believe it! Not till the disease is further advanced." "That's what he said--not till." Stefana hurried in eagerly. "_He_ didn't believe it." "The Benjamin baby wasn't further advanced," doubted Evangeline discouragingly. "Never you mind the Benjamin baby! You bring your baby over here at once with his nightgowns! I believe we're in time. I'll be reading up my medicine book. You can tell the doctor to come here instead of to your house. Don't any of you dare to kiss Elly Precious good-by!" Miss Theodosia was moving briskly about the room, doing strange things,--pulling down shades and drawing together draperies. "Mustn't have too much light, though maybe that is later on, too. I'm sure there is something about being careful of the eyes. Evangeline, wait! Let Stefana go. I don't trust you; you might kiss him." "Yes'm, I might," sighed poor little Evangeline. "He's my darlin' dear." A terrible separation yawned before her like a bottomless pit of desolation. How was she to live Elly Preciousless? "Can't I come over an'--an' hold him when he isn't--when he isn't sneezing?" she suddenly sobbed forth. Miss Theodosia was too engrossed to be sympathetic. There were many things to think of. "Come over?--I should say not! You can't do anything but look through the window, and I shall ask the doctor if that's safe. Now listen--dear," again the "dear" slipped through her lips unconsciously. "Listen! When you see Stefana coming, you go out the back door! I wish I'd told her to bring him in the clothes basket instead of in her arms--" "I'll tell her to! Through the window. I'll tell her to bring him by the handles," and Evangeline hurried away excitedly.