The Old Housekeeper humped her shoulders against the door and folded her arms sumptuously. "No, I haven't told her," she said, "and I'm not going to. I don't dar'st! I help you out about your business same as I helped the Old Doctor out about his business. That's all right. That's as it should be. And I'll go skipping up those stairs to tell the little lady any highfaluting, pleasant yarn that you can invent, but I don't budge one single step to tell that poor, innocent, loony Lamb--the _truth_. It isn't ugliness, Doctor. I haven't got the strength, that's all!" Just then the little silver bell tinkled, and the Doctor went heavily up the few steps that swung the Sick-A-Bed Lady's room just out of line of real upstairs or downstairs. The Sick-A-Bed Lady was lying in glorious state, arrayed in a wonderful pale green kimono with shimmering silver birds on it. "You stayed too long downstairs," she asserted and went on trying to cut out pictures from a magazine. The Young Doctor stood at the window looking out to sea as long as his legs would hold him, and then he came back and sat down on the edge of the bed. "What's your name, Honey?" he asked with a forced smile. "Why, 'Dear,' of course," she answered and dropped her scissors in surprise. "What's my name?" he continued, fencing for time. "Just '_Boy_,'" she said with sweet, contented positiveness. The Young Doctor shivered and got up and started to leave the room, but at the threshold he stopped resolutely and came back and sat down again. This time he took his Mother's wedding ring from his little finger and twirled it with apparent aimlessness in his hands. Its glint caught the Sick-A-Bed Lady's eye, and she took it daintily in her fingers and examined it carefully. Then, as though it recalled some vague memory, she crinkled up her forehead and started to get out of bed. The Young Doctor watched her with agonized interest. She went direct to her bureau and began to search diligently through all the drawers, but when she reached the lower drawer and found some bright-colored ribbons she forgot her original quest, whatever it was, and brought all the ribbons back to bed with her. The Young Doctor started to leave her again, this time with a little gesture which she took to be anger, but he had not gone further than the head of the stairs before she called him back in a voice that was startlingly mature and reasonable. "Oh, Boy, come back," she cried. "I'll be good. What do you want?" The Young Doctor came doubtfully. "Do you understand me to-day?" he asked in a voice that sent an ominous chill to her heart. "Can you think pretty clearly to-day?" She nodded her head. "Yes," she answered; "it's a good day." "Do you know what marriage is?" he asked abruptly. "Oh, yes," she said, but her face clouded perceptibly. Then he took her in his arms and told her plainly, brutally, clumsily, without preface, without comment: "Honey, you are going to have a child."