Kirk sat in the nursery with his chin on his hands, staring gloomilyat William Bannister. On the floor William Bannister played some gameof his own invention with his box of bricks.

　　They were alone. It was the first time they had been alone together fortwo weeks. As a rule, when Kirk paid his daily visit, Lora DelanePorter was there, watchful and forbidding, prepared, on the slightestexcuse, to fall upon him with rules and prohibitions. To-day she wasout, and Kirk had the field to himself, for Mamie, whose duty it was tomount guard, and who had been threatened with many terrible things byMrs. Porter if she did not stay on guard, had once more allowed her toosympathetic nature to get the better of her and had vanished.

　　Kirk was too dispirited to take advantage of his good fortune. He had asense of being there on parole, of being on his honour not to touch. Sohe sat in his chair, and looked at Bill; while Bill, crooning tohimself, played decorously with bricks.

　　The truth had been a long time in coming home to Kirk, but it hadreached him at last. Ever since his return he had clung to the beliefthat it was a genuine conviction of its merits that had led Ruth tosupport her aunt's scheme for Bill's welfare. He himself had alwayslooked on the exaggerated precautions for the maintenance of thelatter's health as ridiculous and unnecessary; but he had acquiesced inthem because he thought that Ruth sincerely believed themindispensable.

　　After all, he had not been there when Bill so nearly died, and he couldunderstand that the shock of that episode might have distorted thejudgment even of a woman so well balanced as Ruth. He was quite readyto be loyal to her in the matter, however distasteful it might be tohim.

　　But now he saw the truth. A succession of tiny incidents had broughtlight to him. Ruth might or might not be to some extent genuine in herbelief in the new system, but her chief motive for giving it hersupport was something quite different. He had tried not to admit tohimself, but he could do so no longer. Ruth allowed Mrs. Porter to haveher way because it suited her to do so; because, with Mrs. Porter onthe premises, she had more leisure in which to amuse herself; because,to put it in a word, the child had begun to bore her.

　　Everything pointed to that. In the old days it had been her chiefpleasure to be with the boy. Their walks in the park had been a dailyceremony with which nothing had been allowed to interfere. But now shealways had some excuse for keeping away from him.

　　Her visits to the nursery, when she did go there, were brief andperfunctory. And the mischief of it was that she always presented suchadmirable reasons for abstaining from Bill's society, when it wassuggested to her that she should go to him, that it was impossible tobring her out into the open and settle the matter once and for all.

　　Patience was one of the virtues which set off the defects in Kirk'scharacter; but he did not feel very patient now as he sat and watchedBill playing on the floor.