"The results of her false education," said the doctor sententiously.
Lynde laughed.
"To what view of the question does Mr. Denham incline?" he asked.
"Denham is not as unreasonable as he used to be; but he is somewhat stunned by the unexpectedness of the thing."
"That's the information; and now for the advice, Doctor."
"I advise you to speak with Denham the first chance you get. You will have an opportunity this evening. I took the liberty of asking him to come up here and smoke a cigar with us as soon as he finishes his coffee."
Lynde nodded his head approvingly, and the doctor went on—
"I shall leave you together after a while, and then you must manage it. At present he is in no state to deny Ruth anything; he would give her a lover just as he would buy her a pair of ear-rings. His joy over her escape from death—it was a fearfully narrow escape, let me tell you—has left him powerless. Moreover, her illness, in which there has not been a symptom of the old trouble, has reassured him on a most painful point. In short, everything is remarkably smooth for you. I think that's Denham's step now in the hall," added Dr. Pendegrast hurriedly. "You can say what you please to him of Ruth; but mind you, my dear boy, not a word at this juncture about the Queen of Sheba—she's dethroned, you know!"