A ring of the bell; Dr. Henrietta at last.
Catherine stood behind her, as she examined Letty, drowsily fretful at the disturbance. What strong, white, competent fingers Henry had! They went into the living room.
"She's not very sick." Henrietta sank into a chair and snapped open her cigarette case. "I'm not sure--tell better to-morrow. I'll come in early. You better keep the other children away from her. It might be something contagious."
"She's had measles." Catherine was openly dismayed, as the bugbear of contagion rose. "Good land, if she has, it means they all get it, just like a row of dominoes. Henry! What shall I do?"
"Oh, get a nurse and quarantine them. You don't need to stay in. Charles doesn't."
"Well, wait until to-morrow. May be just indigestion. I've given her a dose for that." Dr. Henrietta stretched in her chair, crossing her ankles, slim and neat in heavy black silk above small, dull pumps. "We don't want your career busted up yet. How's it going? And where's friend husband?"
"I sent him off to the theater with Miss Partridge." Catherine grinned. "He had the tickets, and was sure' I needn't stay with Letty."
"I never yet saw a man who was worried about his child when he had something he wanted to do." Henry puffed busily. "They regard children as pleasant little amusements, but put them away if they bother."
"No defense necessary. I'm just offering an observation. Sorry I had to be late. I stopped to watch Lasker do a Cæsarian on a case of mine. Beautiful job. But how's your work? Bill said he ran into you, spoke of your looking well."
"My job is fine." Catherine saw, at a great distance, the mood in which she had come home. "Henrietta, I must go down to-morrow. There's a conference. I've been getting ready for it all the week."
"It's Saturday. She'll have to take Spencer and Marian--although I suppose Letty has exposed them already."
"She may have nothing at all, you know. I'll come in as early as possible. What time is this conference?"
"Um. I'll try to make it. I promised to stop in at the hospital. Charles can stay, can't he, if I should be detained?"
"Don't you let her have anything that will quarantine me! If I am thrown out now, I'll never get back."
"All righty." Henrietta rose, shaking down her skirt. "I won't." She ground out her cigarette in the ash tray, with a shrewd upward glance at Catherine. "You go to bed. You look too frayed. This is just a first hurdle, you know. I'll come in before nine to-morrow. But you make Charles stay, if I should be later."