Mr. Fielding paused irresolute. Marjorie cooed gently in her protector's arms, and her father looked at her curiously. “You--you don't believe in scientific motherhood?” he said to Miss Vickers. He seemed to be asking for information; seeking light on a question that had already raised itself in his mind. “'Scientific' doesn't hurt any, but it needs some mother with it,” she replied. “See her smile!” Mr. Fielding leaned forward cautiously. “She does, doesn't she?” he said, with curiosity. “I never saw that before. It is quite interesting.” “It's great!” exclaimed the private secretary. “You take her a minute and I'll show you something else.” Mr. Fielding took her, carefully. The private secretary clapped her hands and Marjorie looked toward her. “Two hands, baby,” she said, and the two pink arms reached out to her. “Well!” exclaimed Mr. Fielding, “How human!” “See if she will do it for you,” suggested the girl. Mr. Fielding clapped his hands. “Two hands!” he said. Marjorie looked at him good naturedly. If he was willing to play she could forgive everything. She reached out her hands, and jumped toward her father. Before he knew how it happened, he had pressed his lips to her soft cheek and her hands were entangled in his hair. [Illustration: On his hands and knees playing peek-boo 88] When the doorbell rang, half an hour later, Mr. Fielding was on his hands and knees playing “peek-boo!” with Marjorie. Miss Vickers swept her into her crib and helped him to arise hastily. Then she pushed him toward the door. “It is Chiswick!” she whispered. “Hurry!” “Yes!” he whispered in return. “We--we will keep this matter private? It is not necessary to inform any one.” The private secretary watched him nervously while he gave Marjorie a last, long kiss, and then she pushed him gently from the nursery. She really had to push him out. When Mrs. Fielding was appointed to read a paper on Scientific Motherhood at the annual convention of the national federation of Women's clubs, she accepted the task with due modesty but not without a sense of complete fitness. Her mere presence in the distant convention city would in itself be a proof of the correctness of her theories. Under what other system could a mother leave her young baby and devote a week's absence to club duties? She felt quite at ease, however, for the three remaining members of the committee of four were in charge of Marjorie's welfare, and back of the committee was the entire federation of her city. She took the train with a grateful sense of freedom. It was the opportunity Marjorie had been awaiting. No sooner had Mrs. Fielding left the city than Marjorie raised her temperature two degrees, just as an experiment. It was wonderfully successful. It made Chiswick scurry around the nursery with distracted concern. Marjorie raised her temperature a few degrees more and Chiswick telephoned for the committee.