“Len, you will want to know if I am happy.  Do I need to tell you?  All my old readiness of speech fails me when I come to this.  In spite of the way talk bubbles from me, on ordinary subjects, you know I have never said much of the big things of my life.  I didn’t tell you a word of all there was between your guest of last summer and me.  Neither can I talk about it now.

“Just this, to satisfy you, dear.  Every time I look at his beautifully strong, sweet, grave face, at his splendid quiet confidence of manner, as he leaves me to go away to do some of the wonderful work he does, or comes back to me after having done that work, I realize what it means to be the wife of such a man.  Oh, yes, I am happy, Len, so gloriously happy I can’t tell you another word about it!”

* * * * *

When Burns and Ellen landed in New York in late May they were met by a telegram.  Burns read it hurriedly, re-read it with a laugh, and handed it to his wife.

“Seems peremptory,” he commented.  “Shall we let Jack dictate?  It will mean only a short delay, and though I’m anxious to get home I’d like mighty well to see them, shouldn’t you?”

The despatch read: 

“Important clinic on Thursday should like your assistance my wife urges the necessity of seeing Mrs. Burns without further delay please take first train for Baltimore.

“Leaver.”

“Yes, I want to see them,” Ellen agreed.  “I’m quite willing to delay if you will send Bob a telegram, all to himself, explaining and telling him to tell the rest.”

“That will please him enough to make up for our failure to arrive on the promised day.  We’ll run down for twenty-four hours with them, at least....  I confess I’m eager to see Jack do one of his big stunts again.  And I’ll wager I can show him one trick that even he doesn’t know—­the last thing I got at Vienna, under W——­”

He sent off the message to Bobby Burns without delay, and despatched another to Leaver, announcing their arrival that evening.  In two hours more they were on their way, and at six o’clock they were met in the Baltimore station by Leaver himself.

“See the old chap grin!” said Burns in his wife’s ear, when they descried the tall figure in the distance, coming toward them with smiling face and alert step.  “Can that be the desperately down person who came to us last June?  He looks as if—­in a perfectly quiet way—­he owned the city of Baltimore!”

“How well, how splendidly well, he looks!” Ellen agreed.

Then they were shaking hands with Dr. John Leaver and listening to his hearty greeting: 

“This is great of you two—­great.  We certainly appreciate it.  Come, I’ll have you at home before you know it.  Charlotte is waiting with the warmest welcome you will find on this side of the Atlantic!”

He hurried them away, but not so fast that Red Pepper Burns did not find time to chuckle:  “The power of association is beginning to tell already, Jack.  That was the most impetuous speech I ever heard from your lips.  I don’t call such language really restrained—­not from you.”