She stopped speaking, and the pain in his heart reached hers.
"Floyd," she cried again, "is there anything the matter with—with—"
"Hush, Fledra darling, little wife, will you be brave for my sake and for the sake of—her?"
His eyes were still full of tears as he touched the bundle on the bed.
"But my babies!" moaned Mrs. Vandecar. "If there isn't anything the matter with my babies—"
"I want to speak to you about our children, Dear."
"They are dead?" Mrs. Vandecar asked dully. "My babies are dead?"
At first Vandecar could scarcely trust himself to speak; but, curbing his emotion with an effort, he answered, "No, no; but gone for a little while."
His arms were tightly about her, and time and again he pressed his lips to hers.
"Gone where?" she demanded.