If he were lazy, Desire found ways of
making progress without him; if he grumbled, she laughed.
The day set apart for the arrival of Miss Davis had been voted a
holiday and the professor hoped that her non-appearance would not
interfere with so pleasant an arrangement. But Desire's ideas were
quite otherwise. Sharply on time she descended to the library with
her note-book ready. The professor felt injured.
"Must we really?" he said. "Yes. I see we must. But mind! I know why
you are doing it. I thought of your reason in the night when I was
unable to sleep from overwork. You are hurrying to get through so
that we may leave this sleepy town. Insatiable window-gazer! You
wish to look in bigger windows."
"Do I?" Desire turned limpid eyes upon him and tapped her note-book.
"Then the sooner we get on with this chapter on 'The Significance of
the Totem' the better. But, if you can excuse me this afternoon, Dr.
John has just 'phoned to ask me if I can call on the eldest Miss
Martin. He says that her state of mind is her greatest trouble. And
it does not react to medicine."
The professor looked still more injured.
"We can't begin the totem chapter unless we are going to go on with
it," he objected. "I don't see why John doesn't get a secretary of
his own."
"He has a nurse," said Desire smoothly.
"Er--oh yes, of course. Well, perhaps we had better begin--but why
does he want you to call on Miss Martin?"
Desire looked self-conscious, a rare thing for her.
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