"You do not." The Doctor placed his great form squarely in the doorway. "Not unless you can lick me, my girl, and I'm pretty tough. I put you to bed last night, and I can do as much tonight. Shall I?" Pat backed into the hall. "You don't have to," she said sullenly. "I'm going there myself." She flung her wrap angrily to a chair and stalked up the stairs. "Good night, spit-fire," he called after her. "I'll read down here until your mother comes home." The girl stormed into her room in anger that she knew to be illogical. "I won't be watched like a problem child!" she told herself viciously. "I know damn well what he thought--and I wasn't going to meet Nick! I wasn't at all!" She calmed suddenly, sat on the edge of her bed and kicked off her pumps. It had occurred to her that Nick had written his intention to wait for her in the park tomorrow night as well, and Dr. Horker's interference had confirmed her in a determination to meet him. 14 Bizarre Explanation "I won't be bullied!" Pat told herself, examining her features in the mirror. The two day interval had faded the discoloration of her cheek to negligible proportions, and all that remained as evidence of the violence of Saturday night was the diminishing mark on her chin. Of course, her knees--but they were covered; most of the time, at least. She gave herself a final inspection, and somewhere below a clock boomed. "Eight o'clock," she remarked to her image; "Time to be leaving, and it serves Dr. Carl right for his high-handed actions last night. I won't be bullied by anybody." She checked herself as her mind had almost added, "Except Nick." True or not, she didn't relish the thought; the recent recollections it roused were too disturbing. She tossed a stray wisp of black hair from her forehead and turned to the door. She heard her mother's voice as she descended the stairs. "Are you going out, Patricia? Do you think it wise?" "I am perfectly all right. I want to go for a walk." "I know, Dear; it was largely your appearance I meant." She surveyed the girl with a critical eye. "Nice enough, except for that little spot on your chin, and will you never learn to keep your hair away from that side of your forehead? One can never do a bob right; why don't you let it grow out like the other girls?" "Makes me individual," replied Pat, moving toward the outer door. "I won't be late at all," she added. On the porch she cast a cautious glance at Dr. Horker's windows, but his great figure was nowhere evident. Only a light burning in the library evinced his presence. She gave a sigh of relief, and tiptoed down the steps to the sidewalk, and moved hastily away from the range of his watchful eyes.