'You are going away?' she said, rising and coming towards him. 'One of your business trips? Then this will be my time for a few days in town, to "do about dress" a little. Do you suppose— honestly—that anybody wants my new gloves?' The question came with a laugh and a flash which yet did not hide it. But silently Dane folded his two arms about her and pressed kiss after kiss upon brow and lips. That shewed feeling more than he meant to shew it. Yet when he spoke his tone was clear and sweet, no shadow at all in it. 'I am not going away.' She drew off as far as she could, to look at him, with sudden instinctive fear. Only her eyes put questions now. 'Yes,' he said,—'there is sickness in the Hollow. And it is contagious sickness.' 'O, is there?'—with a grave look which yet told more of relief that concern. 'And you are going to help Dr. Arthur take care of them!' He answered absently, looking at her, as a man might who expected to lose such an indulgence for some time to come. Her face was very thoughtful for a minute; then she looked up with almost a smile. 'Yes,' she repeated,—'of course you must. Well, I am ready.' 'Are you?' said he. 'For what?' 'You think I do not know enough,' said Hazel with some eagerness; 'and I do not know much; but I can follow directions. And Byo declares she was never so taken care of in her life as once by me.' Instead of answering, at first, Dane clasped her closer in his arms and kissed her, as if in anticipation of the hunger for the sight of her which would shortly set in. 'I should like to have you take care of me,' he said at length. 'If I needed a little care, that is.' 'Well,' said Wych Hazel, 'you may put it so, if you like. You will need a great deal before you have been in that Hollow two days.' 'Need it. Do you think you can give it?' said he wistfully. 'Without a doubt.' 'But you are not my wife, Wych—you cannot be there with me now. And if you were my wife, you could not. Do you think I would let you?' She shrank back a little, hanging her head. This view of the case had certainly not come up. 'I thought—I suppose—anybody may come and go to see sick people,' she said under her breath. 'I thought, anybody might stay with them. And I think so now. I never heard of etiquette over small-pox.' 'You could not "come and go" to these people. I shall establish a strict quarantine, and probably be in it myself. You must not come even near the Hollow.' 'But I need not have anything to do with you,' pleaded Hazel. 'I am going to serve under Dr. Arthur.' 'That is just my place.' 'You may keep it,' said Hazel. 'A woman's place is not solid and stationary like a man's. Nobody will know where I am, but some poor sick child that everyone else is too busy for.' Perhaps Dane smothered a sigh; but he only said, clear and clean- cut the words were now,— 'I cannot have you there, Hazel. You must keep your place and do your work here. The Hollow is my business.'