"No, I'm not and he isn't," Nancy said. "What's the matter with you and Billy anyway?" "I haven't seen him for weeks before. I just happened to be in this neighborhood to-night, and ran in here, and there he was." "Why don't you take him home with you?" Nancy said. "I don't want him to go home with me." "Don't you love him?" "Oh, I don't know. That isn't the point." "It is the point," Nancy said; "there isn't any other point to the whole of existence. There's nothing else in the world, but love, the great, big, beautiful, all-giving-up kind of love, and bearing children for the man you love; and if you don't know that yet, Caroline, go down on your bended knees and pray to your God that He will teach it to you before it is too late." "I--I didn't know you felt like that," Caroline gasped. "Well, I do," Nancy said, "and I think that any woman who doesn't is just confusing issues, and taking refuge in sophistry. I wouldn't give _that_"--she snapped an energetic forefinger, "for all your silly, smug little ideas of economic independence and service to the race, and all that tommy-rot. There is only one service a woman can do to her race, and that is to take hold of the problems of love and marriage,--and the problems of life, birth and death that are involved in them--and work them out to the best of her ability. They _will_ work out." "You--you're a sort of a pragmatist, aren't you?" Caroline gasped. "Billy loves you, and you love Billy. Billy needs you. He is the most miserable object lately, that ever walked the face of the earth. I'm going to call a taxi-cab, and send you both home in it, and when you get inside of it I want you to put you arms around Billy's neck, and make up your quarrel." "I won't do that," said Caroline, "but--but somehow or other you've cleared up something for me. Something that was worrying me a good deal." "Shall I call the taxi?" Nancy said inexorably. "Well, yes--if--if you want to," Caroline said. The fire was crackling merrily in the drawing-room when she stepped into it again after speeding her departing guests. Collier Pratt was walking up and down impatiently with his hands clasped behind his back. "You got rid of them at last," he said. "I was afraid they would decide to remain with us indefinitely." "I didn't have as much trouble as I anticipated," admitted Nancy cryptically. Collier Pratt made a round of the rose-shaded lamps in the room--there were three including a Japanese candle lamp,--and turned them all deliberately low. Then he held out his arms to Nancy. "We'll snatch at the few moments of joy the gods will vouchsafe us," he said. CHAPTER XVI CHRISTMAS SHOPPING