MAMIE grew slowly better, but the baby was kept alive only by constant attention. Hunch did not go to the house at all. Jess suggested it once or twice, but it made Hunch look so black that she began to avoid the subject. For the rest of the time Hunch was in better spirits than usual. After the night with Bruce, he had made up his mind to drop Bruce and his family from his mind. He had no right to interfere in Bruce’s domestic matters. The decision brought relief, and Jess and he were happier than at any time since the beginning of their engagement. They spent their evenings going to entertainments, or sitting in the parlor, talking, with the lamp turned low.

One night Hunch came in a little earlier than usual, without knocking, and found Jess bending over a paper with some sort of colored illustrations. She slipped it into a drawer as he entered the room.

“What you reading?” he asked.

“Oh, nothing.”

“Yes, you was. I saw it.” He laughed and started to open the drawer, but she stood against it.

“Please don’t look.”

“Don’t you tell me all your secrets?”

“Oh, well, look if you want to.”

“I don’t, unless you want me to, Jess.”

She opened the drawer and drew out the paper. It was illustrated with plans. “What’s the matter with this?” he asked. “What you afraid of?”

“Nothing. Sometimes I think it’s kind of fun to pick out the houses I’d like—just for fun, you know.”

“Which one do you like?”

“Oh, I don’t know. I was just thinking that maybe some day we’d———”

She stopped and turned away. Hunch thought she was joking, and he took her shoulders and gently turned her around. She was crying.

“Why—what’s the matter, Jess?”

She buried her face on his coat. Hunch could not follow her sudden changes. Now he looked down at her hair, puzzled, waiting for her to explain. Finally he said, “You’ve got to tell me what’s the matter, Jess.”

“I was only thinking—one of the girls said—said you didn’t love me, John, she said—-” Hunch tried to break in, but she went on, “you weren’t going to—that we’d never get married. And you—you never said anything about getting married, John.” Hunch looked over her head at the wall. He could not tell her that he had not allowed himself to think about it, that he had been drifting steadily farther from the thought of it. “And I thought maybe you’d speak about it, and we’d talk about a house—and I wanted that—that one on the front page with the shingles on the front. It’s a beautiful house, John.”

Hunch stood silent for a long time.

“Why don’t you say something? Oh, John, it isn’t true, is it? You do love me, John?”

“No,” said Hunch, “it ain’t true. We’ll be married just as soon as you’re ready, Jess.”

She did not look up for a long time. When she did, her eyes were still wet.

“Don’t you think it would be kind of fun, John, to talk about the house?”

They went over the plans, sitting on the sofa by the front window, and talked out every detail. Hunch agreed with nearly all of Jess’s suggestions, even to the grate in the front room, an expensive feature.

When they were out in the entry, and Hunch was putting on his ulster, Jess stood before him with her back against the door.

“Say, do you want me to tell you something?”

“Course.”

“Oh, I—don’t you laugh, John, it ain’t funny. It’s mean. It’s what somebody said. She said if a man really loves a girl, he gives her something so folks ‘ll know—like a ring or something.” She laughed nervously. “And I just told her that I wasn’t engaged on her account, and if she thought I ought to wear a ring she needn’t look at me, that’s all. She was awful mad.”

Hunch was silent.

“Now, don’t you be cross. I don’t want a ring, John, anyway, until—well, until we’re married. It don’t mean anything when two people love each other like you and me do. Good-night, you old boy. Now, don’t go and be cross. And don’t forget we’re going to the dance to-morrow night.”

Hunch laughed a little and kissed her. Then he walked slowly down the street.

At noon on the following day, He went into the jewelry store near the post-office and looked at rings. There was one large ring with two diamonds set in a snake’s head.

“How much is it?” Hunch asked.

“Ninety dollars. Best ring we’ve got. There ain’t another like it this side of Grand Rapids.”

“That’s the one I want then,” said Hunch. “Will you put it by for me?”

“Take it right along, Mr. Badeau. There’s no hurry about the money.”

“No,” said Hunch, “I won’t take it until I can pay for it.”

“All right, Mr. Badeau, we’ll set it aside for you.”

By a second loan Hunch had let Bruce have nearly all his ready money, so that he lacked a large part of the ninety dollars, but he was determined to have the ring within a week or two. He was walking slowly down the street when he met Jim Bartlett.

“Hello, Hunch.”

“Hello, Jim.”

“Say, come into Herve’s a minute. I want to see you.”

When they were seated at one of the round tables, Jim said, “I s’pose it ain’t none of my business, Hunch; but when you’ve known a fellow all your life, you can’t help being kind of interested. I knew you was sort of looking after Bruce Considine once in awhile. I know he used to work for you, and it seemed to me lately that he’s getting a little off the track.”

“What’s the matter? What’s Bruce done?”

“Well, I hear about it from two or three places. You know Billy Riggs’s folks live next door to Bruce, and this morning Billy came up to the lookout while I was on the watch, and told me a little about it. Billy’s always known Marne Banks, you know. I think he used to be kind of stuck on her.”

“What about it?”

“Billy says Bruce is drinking right along not jagged, you know, but kind of ugly. And he says, his little sister says, she saw him hit Marne last night-’t weren’t none of her business, of course. She heard ‘em talking and was looking through the window. Going on down the street?”

“No,” said Hunch, after a silence, “I’ll sit here awhile.”

“All right. So long, Hunch.”

Hunch did not work at all that afternoon. He went to the wharf and watched the men at work on the foundation of the new grain elevator. Once he started back uptown, thinking that he might find Bruce at Herve’s saloon. He got as far as the planing mill, and stopped, wondering what he could say to Bruce if he should meet him. Then he went back to the wharf. After supper he walked rapidly out to the eastern limits of the town, where the pavement ends and the yellow sand begins. He had forgotten about Jess and the dance. He went back to Herve’s and looked in at the door. Bruce was sitting at one of the rear tables playing poker with some of the elevator men. Hunch stepped back and stood outside on the corner. For the first time since he had known Bruce he felt like leaving him to go to the bad. He wanted to do something himself that would make Mamie’s life easier.

He suddenly turned and walked out to Bruce’s house. He was excited when he knocked on the door. He heard some one say, “Come in;” then he was inside the door with his hat in his hands. Mamie was sitting by the cradle rocking it with her foot.

“How d’ye do, Mis’ Considine. Is Bruce home?”

“No, he’s gone to the doctor’s. Won’t you sit down?”

“Thanks, I dunno. Bruce, he ain’t been very well lately, has he?”

“Why, yes.”

“I heard he wasn’t. I been kind of worried about him. Say, it ain’t none of my business, but he was my man for a good while, and if he ain’t doing the right thing by you, why, I want to know it, and I’ll learn him he can’t cut no monkey shines——”

Mamie had stopped rocking and was looking at him.

“Mebbe I ain’t got much to say about him now—I dunno’s I have anything to say, but—there’s some things a man can’t do, and——”

“What do you mean?”

“I dunno just what I mean—I know Bruce, and I’ve heard that he ain’t doing the square thing.”

“I don’t understand.”

“I hear he’s hit you, and I just wanted you to know I ain’t been your friend and his friend for nothing——” Hunch was talking fast and wildly, “and he’s got to answer to me if he’s doing anything like that.”

Mamie was on her feet now. Her eyes were flashing.

“Is this the way you talk about your friends? And a man who’s been as kind to you as Bruce has?”

“Bruce——?”

“Why don’t you come when he’s here? Why don’t you wait and talk to him?”

Hunch sat still, looking at her. He had nothing to say.

“Why don’t you go away? What makes you talk like this? Don’t you understand that he’s my husband?”

Hunch moved toward the door.

“Yes,” he said, “he’s your husband.” The meaning of that word seemed to be coming slowly into his mind.

“I’ll tell you,” he said, with one hand on the door-knob, “I guess I made a mistake. I——”

“Yes, you have made a mistake.” She followed him toward the door. “Bruce has never said anything mean about you. But I know where he was the other night when he took care of you. And he wouldn’t have told me if I hadn’t almost made him. And now you——”

They stood at the door looking into each other’s eyes—hers flashing, his stupid. A choking sound came from the cradle. Mamie stepped softly across the room and set the cradle rocking gently. Then she bent over it, patting the little blanket and whispering. Hunch stood watching her. She pressed her cheek to the face on the pillow, then suddenly stood up. Her face grew white. She looked at Hunch, and he tiptoed across the room and bent over the cradle. The baby’s face was white. He touched the face with his finger. It was cold.

Mamie sank into a chair. She was still looking at him. He said awkwardly, “I’ll get Bruce.”

His hat had dropped to the floor and he picked it up and tiptoed back to the door. He opened it and turned. Mamie had thrown herself across the cradle, and he went out without speaking.

He found Bruce in Herve’s saloon and sent him home.