“Oh, Dick and I must settle our little differences together,” said Georgia, as lightly as she could. “Where is he? I haven’t seen him yet.” “I think I hear his step outside,” said Lady Haigh. “He must have followed you into the house. But, Georgia, I must warn you, he looks very seedy, and I think he is just a little bit cross. Don’t be harder on him than you can help, dear, for he has been through a fearfully anxious time. He has had very little sleep since he left here, and has been at work day and night, almost without a rest.” If Lady Haigh considered it advisable to offer her this warning, Georgia judged that Dick’s fit of ill-temper must be of an extremely pronounced character; but her conscience was clear, although her heart beat a little faster than usual as she left Lady Haigh in the inner room and went out into the larger one. Dick was leaning against the framework of the lattice, and raised himself slowly to greet her. “Oh, Dick, how ill you look!” she cried. “My dear boy, you ought to be in bed.” As soon as the words had passed her lips, she was struck by their singularly malapropos character under the circumstances, and Dick frowned heavily. “Well, Georgia?” was all he said. “Why, Dick, have you nothing more to say to me than that? Do you know that you haven’t seen me for over a week?” “I was under the impression that you might have seen me yesterday evening, and preferred not to do so.” “But I couldn’t help that. It was not a matter of choice. One can’t leave a patient before his cure is fairly complete.” “You prefer your patient to me, then?” “To see you would have been a pleasure; to stay there was a duty.” “Even when I had desired you to come back at once?” “That couldn’t alter my duty.” “Indeed?” Dick lifted his eyebrows. “Then my wishes have no weight with you whatever?” “They have great weight with me, but mine ought to have just as much with you.” “This is rather a new theory,” said Dick, with elaborate politeness. “Is its application intended to be permanent, or only temporary?” “I see no reason to anticipate any change that would render it out of date.” “Thank you. That’s pretty clear, at any rate. Perhaps you will kindly explain to me your views of the marriage relation? So far as I can see, they involve two heads of one house.”