"Yes, sir," said the White Linen Nurse.
Very conscientiously the Senior Surgeon began to search for a fleck of dust on his other cuff.
"Why my—my dear girl," he persisted. "It's absurd! It's outrageous! Why people would—would hoot at us! Why they'd think—!"
"Yes, sir," said the White Linen Nurse.
"Why, my dear girl," sweated the Senior Surgeon. "Even though you and I understand perfectly well the purely formal, business-like conditions of our marriage, we must at least for sheer decency's sake keep up a certain semblance of marital conventionality—before the world! Why, if we were married at noon the first day of June—as you suggest,—and I should go right off alone as usual—on my Canadian trip—and you should come back alone to the house—why, people would think—would think that I didn't care anything about you!"
"But you don't," said the White Linen Nurse serenely.
"Why, they'd think," choked the Senior Surgeon. "They'd think you were trying your—darndest—to get rid of me!"
"I am," said the White Linen Nurse complacently.
With a muttered ejaculation the Senior Surgeon jumped to his feet and stood glaring down at her.
Quite ingenuously the White Linen Nurse met and parried the glare.