“It won’t be.”

“Then will you go?”

“Perhaps—­to humour you,” promised Charlotte.

“Thank you!  And remember, please, Miss Charlotte, if you are to do justice to yourself and to your family, you must not plod all the time.  Plan to get away every day for an hour or two.  Go to see your friends—­anything—­but don’t cultivate ‘house nerves’ at eighteen.”

“I’m older than that,” said Charlotte, as she watched him go down the steps.  He turned, surprised.  “But I shall not tell you how much,” said she, and closed the door.

Doctor Churchill went straight through his small bachelor house to the kitchen.  Here a tall, thin woman, with sharp eyes and kindly mouth, was energetically kneading bread.

“Mrs. Fields,” said he, “I wish you would find it necessary to-morrow morning to run in at that door over there”—­he indicated the little back porch of the Birch house—­“and borrow something.”

Mrs. Fields eyed him as if she thought he had taken leave of his senses.  “Me—­borrow?” she said.  “Doctor Andrew—­are you——­”

“No, I’m not crazy,” the doctor assured her, smiling.  “I know it’s tremendously against your principles, but never mind the principles, for once—­since by ignoring them you can do a kindness.  Run in and borrow a cup of sugar or something, and get acquainted.”

“Who with?  That curly-haired girl with the red cheeks?  She don’t want my acquaintance.”

“She would be immensely grateful for it if it came about naturally.  Take over some of your jelly for Miss Birch, if that way suits you better, but get to know Miss Charlotte, and show her a few things about cookery.  She’s trying to do all the work for the whole family, and she knows very little about it.”

“I suspected as much.  You haven’t told me about ’em, and of course, being a doctor’s housekeeper, I’m too well trained to ask.”

The doctor smiled, for Mrs. Fields had been housekeeper in his mother’s family in the days of his boyhood, and she felt it her right to tell him, now and then, what she thought.  She was immensely proud of her own ability to hold her tongue and her curiosity in check.

“So I know only what I’ve seen.  You told me the oldest girl had broke her knee, and that’s all you’ve said.  But I see this girl a-hanging dish-towels, and opening the kitchen door to let out the smoke each time she’s burned up a batch of something, and I guessed she wasn’t what you might call a graduate of one of those cooking-schools.”

“You must be a bit tactful,” warned the doctor.  “The young lady is a trifle sensitive, as is natural, over her inefficiency, but she’s very anxious to learn, and there’s nobody to teach her.  She is too independent to go to the other neighbours, but I’ve an idea you could be a friend to her.”

“She looks pretty notional,” Mrs. Fields said, doubtfully.  “Shakes out her dust-cloth with her chin in the air——­”