A stab of pain went through her and tears came up into her eyes. "Yes, give them to me," she started to say. But Mrs. Ruston spoke before she could frame the words. It was their feeding hour, she pointed out; a bad time for them to be excited, and the bottles were heated exactly right. By that time Rose's idea had flowered into resolution. She knew exactly what she was going to do. But she mustn't jeopardize the success of her plan by trying to put it into effect too soon. She waited patiently, reasonably, for another fortnight. Harriet by that time had gone off to Washington on a visit, taking Rodney's heartfelt thanks with her. Rose expressed hers just as warmly, and felt ashamed that they were so unreal. She simply mustn't let herself get to resenting Harriet! At the end of the fortnight, the doctor made his final visit. Rose had especially asked Rodney to be on hand to hear his report when the examination was over. Rose and the doctor found him waiting in the library. "He says," Rose told her husband, "that I'm perfectly well." She turned to the doctor for confirmation, "Don't you?" The doctor smiled. "As far as my diagnostic resources go, Mrs. Aldrich, you are perfectly well." Rodney was pleased of course, and expressed this feeling fervently. But he looked across at his glowing radiant wife, with a touch of misgiving. "What are you trying to put over on me?" he asked. "Not a thing," said Rose demurely. "I thought you'd be glad to know that I needn't be kept in cotton-wool any more, and that you'd feel surer of it if he told you." "I feel surer that you've got something up your sleeve," he said. And, to the doctor: "I don't imagine that in saying my wife is perfectly well, you mean to suggest an absence of all reasonable caution." The doctor took the hint, expatiated largely; it was always well to be careful--one couldn't, in fact, be too careful. The human body at best, more especially the--ah--feminine human body, was a delicate machine, not to be abused without inviting serious consequences. He was even a little reproachful about it. "But there's no more reason, is there," Rose persisted, "why I should be careful than why any other woman should--my nurse-maid for example? Is she any healthier than I am?" It was indiscreet of the doctor to look at her before he answered. Her eyes were sparkling, the color bright in her cheeks; unconsciously, she had flattened her shoulders back and drawn a good deep breath down into her lungs. The doctor smiled a smile of surrender and turned back to Rodney. "I'll confess," he said, "that in my experience, Mrs. Aldrich is almost a _lusus naturae_--a perfectly sound, healthy woman." Rose smiled widely and contentedly on the pair of them. "That's more like it," she said to the doctor. "Thanks very much."