There was no apathy in Elise’s profile when Lola looked up from her reading. The girl had covered her face with her hands, and flood upon flood of colour was racing over it. "Is that ’the exact truth, my countrymen?’" Lola demanded, standing over the hammock. "Yes," Elise said, "why not?"—and Lola grabbed her with a joyful shout. "Don’t make such a fuss," Elise sputtered from out the smother of Mrs. Hazard’s kisses, "for I haven’t told mamma yet." * * * * * "—And look here," a radiant Elise demanded when the two of them had become somewhat composed, "I want to know how it came about that a letter I wrote _and burned_ should have—" "Stop, stop, honey; I will not answer.... But I _do_ think it is a very bad Samaritan who will not help Dan Cupid when he’s in trouble." *CHAPTER XLI* The communications between Hayward Graham and the physician in charge of the private hospital in which Helen was detained had become caustic. So much so, that the great specialist had asked Graham to remove her from his care. This Hayward was unable to do. Mrs. Phillips was paying the hospital fees and expenses, and Hayward felt that he could not keep his wife in proper and befitting manner even if she were altogether sane and sound in health. He had no means with which properly to provide for her if she was really in such a condition as the physician declared. Not being willing or able to assume responsibility for her removal, he was all the more angered at what he believed to be the eminent alienist’s positive misrepresentation of the gravity of Helen’s ailment and his unwarranted and cavalier treatment of him, her husband. Provoked beyond endurance he went at last to the hospital. "Mr. Hayward Graham? Yes. Well, come right into my office. Now, what may I do for you?" "Your last letter about my wife, doctor, was very unsatisfactory," said Hayward, "and I came to see about it. Surely she cannot be so ill as you report. When you admitted her you said she would recover her health in a very short time." "Excuse me, Mr. Graham; but if you wish to take issue with me as to your wife’s condition, I will have to insist on the request in my letter of yesterday—that you remove her at once," the physician said with decision. "I do not desire to do that," Graham replied; "but I cannot understand what has happened here to change her prospects of recovery, of which you were so confident when you admitted her. Besides that I do not see why you forbid me to communicate with her. She is certa—"