She nodded, and again her lips parted in the pitiful brave smile as she said whimsically: “Oh, Dick, go call the neighbors in and show them what little Paula’s din.

“How serious is it?” she asked. “Be honest, Red Cloud, you know me,” she added, after the briefest of pauses in which Dick had not replied.

He shook his head.

“How long?” she queried.

“Not long,” came his answer. “You can ease off any time.”

“You mean� ?” She glanced aside curiously at the doctor and back to Dick, who nodded.

“It’s only what I should have expected from you, Red Cloud,” she murmured gratefully.