were in fact but a few years old.  Across the hall were three offices, exact duplicates of mine, Bob’s, and Beulah Sands’s at Randolph & Randolph’s.  When I first saw them it was with difficulty that I brought myself to realise that I was not where the gruesome happenings of a year before had taken place.  Bob had reproduced to the minutest details our down-town workshop.  Standing in the door of Beulah Sands’s office I faced the flat desk at which she had sat the afternoon when I first saw that hideous result of the work of the “System.”  I could almost see the little gray figure holding the afternoon paper.  In horror my eyes sought the floor at the side of the chair in search of Bob’s agonised face and uplifted hands.  As I stood for the first time in the middle of Bob’s handiwork, I seemed to hear again those awful groans.

“Jim,” Bob said, “I have a haunting idea that some day Beulah will wake and look around and think she has been but a few minutes asleep.  If she should, she must have nothing to disabuse her mind until we break the news to her.  I have instructed her nurses, one or the other of whom never loses sight of her night or day, to win her to the habit of spending her time at her old desk; I have told them always to be prepared for her awakening, and when it comes they are instantly to shut off the rest of the floor and house until I can get to her.  Here comes Beulah now.”

Out of the nursery came a laughing, happy child-woman.  In spite of her finely developed, womanly figure, which had lost nothing of its wonderful beauty, and the exquisite face and golden-brown hair and great blue eyes, which were as fascinating as on the day she first entered the offices of Randolph & Randolph; in spite of the close-fitting gray gown with dainty turned-over lace collar, I could hardly bring myself to believe that she was anything but a young child.  With an eager look and a happy laugh she went to Bob and throwing her arms about his neck, covered his face with kisses.

“Good Bob has come back to play with Beulah,” she said, “She knew he would.  They told Beulah Bob had gone away to the woods to gather pretty flowers.  Beulah knew if Bob had gone to the woods he would have taken Beulah with him.  Now Bob must play school with Beulah.”  She sat at her desk and opened her child’s school-book.  With mock severity she said, “Bob, c-a-t.  What does it spell?” For half an hour Bob sat and played scholar and teacher by turns with all the patience of a fond father.  With difficulty I kept back the tears the sad sight brought to my eyes.

For the first year of Bob’s marriage we saw but little of him at the office.  The Exchange saw less.  He had wandered in upon the floor two or three times, but did no business and seemed to take but little interest.