Leaver."
His face immediately grew grave, lost its expression of interested
attention, and set in lines of resignation. She went through a number of
motions and announced that the sitting was over.
"It wasn't so bad, was it?" she questioned, gayly, as she removed the
plate she had used. "I'm not even going to try again. I've discovered
that it's not always best to repeat an attempt, and when you are pretty
sure you have what you want, it doesn't pay."
"Thank you for making the operation so nearly painless. I haven't had
a photograph taken since I was a medical student, and I wasn't prepared
for so short a trial. But, even so, I felt the desperateness of the
situation. Doubtless that will show plainly in the final result."
"Mine is a discreet camera, and doesn't tell all it sees, so it is
possible it may keep your reluctance disguised."
She took away the plate, left him for a few minutes alone among the
photographs, and returned.
"It is quite all right, I think, Dr. Leaver," she said, "and the agony is
over. You are leaving town to-day?"
He rose. "I go to-night. I should have come to say good-bye, in any case,
but, as I go out to Sunny Farm for one more look at the boy, I must be
off. So--I'll make this the good-bye."
"I hope you'll have the busiest, happiest sort of winter," she said, in
the charming, friendly way which was naturally her own.
Pages:
203
204
205
206
207
208
209
210
211
212
213
214
215
216
217
218
219
220
221
222
223
224
225
226
227