The doctor said there was nothing to do—never had been, anyhow, from the first. In those cases he never bothered people—just let them stay where they wanted to … No, there wouldn't have been anything to do last winter, even. Of course, if they'd known long ago … but it was the quick kind, that had probably been only a few months developing, and in those cases there wasn't any earthly good in sending people off… .

He agreed with Vance that the woman probably wouldn't come back; hemorrhages always scared that kind of people out of their senses; but he promised to try and get a nurse the first thing in the morning. There was a bad epidemic of grippe, and nurses were scarce in the district; but he'd do what he could … and for the time being he thought everything would be comfortable. When he had gone Vance looked at his watch again and saw that it was not yet ten o'clock. He sat down by the bed, where Laura Lou was sleeping with a quiet look on her face.

Before daylight Vance crept out to put coal on the fire and start up the range. He opened the front door and looked out into the thinning darkness. All his actions were mechanical; his mind refused to work. He felt a lethargic heaviness stealing over him, and finding a pot of cold coffee in the kitchen he put it on the range to warm. Then he crept back to Laura Lou, sat down by the bed, and fell asleep … When he woke it was broad daylight, but she was still sleeping. He shook himself, got the hot coffee, and swallowed it at a gulp. Then he began to set about such rudimentary housework as he was capable of, while he waited for Laura Lou to wake.

After a while he heard a motor horn. It was not the doctor's hoot; but perhaps it might be the nurse? He interrupted the cleaning of the kitchen dishes, and when he got to the front door he saw that a big motor had stopped halfway down the lane, and that a man was advancing on foot under the apple trees. He and Vance stared at each other. It was Bunty Hayes.

"Say—this is country life all right!" Hayes exclaimed, coming forward with outstretched hand. "It takes a sleuth to run you folks down."

Vance stood motionless on the porch. The shock of Hayes's sudden appearance acted stupefyingly on his unstrung nerves. For a moment he could not adjust himself to this abrupt intrusion of a world that had passed out of his thoughts. Then anger seized him.

"It was no earthly use running us down," he said.

"No use?"

"I haven't got anything for you. I haven't done a stroke of work, and I've spent every cent of the money you gave me."