breath. "Don't say it! You 're mak- his frightened need of help, and rushed ing it all wrong!"

up-stairs to Julia. But he had slipped beyond his slack "Julia! Julia!” he gasped, "somecontrol; he caught her in his arms and thing happened to Joy, I don't know covered her golden head, her face, her what! I kissed her—and she's—she's lips, with kisses. At first he thought gone away!” he had brought back the color to her "Do you mean out of the house?” lips. The frozen little figure melted Julia cried with an anxious look into against his heart; there was no resist the rain-swept garden. ance in her except a queer, muffled "Oh, no; worse! worse!" cried Owen. cry. He heard as he caught her to him He kneeled down by the bedside and a cry so low that he forced himself not buried his head in the coverlet, as if to to submit to its anguish. Then sud- shut out sight. denly through the storm of his passion “O Julia, her eyes! her eyes!” he he met her eyes, and his heart failed moaned. “She's gone out of her mind! him. There was no expression there at I did n't mean any harm; I swear I all. They looked straight at him like did n't mean to frighten her. I did n't the empty eyes of a statue. Joy was know people could do things like that. not there; he had driven her far I've driven her out of it, as if I'd away.

taken a whip! It's too horrible! For He cried out in an agony of fear: God's sake, do something! Do some

“Joy! Joy, my darling! Speak to thing, Julia!” me! Don't you know who I am? Julia put her hands quickly on his Don't you understand?"

shoulders. But she made no answer. She was "There! there!" she said. "I can't warm and alive, she had not even stand, but bring her here, Owen. Of fainted; but she was not there. Her course she 'll get better, and it's aldeep, unwavering eyes were like a most as much my fault as yours. But curtain pulled down between him and she won't stay like that. Bring her her consciousness. She was in his here to me.” arms, and yet he could not reach her. He looked up at Julia, the tears

Just as the room was shaken by the streaming down his cheeks. After all, storm which could not enter, so his nobody had ever taken such care of passion held and shook her, and stayed him as Julia. without the door of her shut soul. "Julia," he gasped, “I'm sorry; Without condemning him, without I'm sorry, Julia.” evading him, she had escaped.

It was the first time she had ever For a few moments he continued seen him really blame himself. Into hold her in a frenzy of confused stinctively, she drew his head against anxiety, but there was no return in her heart. her of consciousness. At last he could “My dear! my dear!” she said, bear it no longer. He had a dreadful "we 've done a dreadful wrong! Go sense as if he had done something with quickly and bring her to me." out excuse. He forgot his anger; all his Joy came quite willingly, hand in feelings, even his great love, seemed hand with him, like a child; but the like childish things. He realized only terrible blankness of her eyes never changed. It never changed again. speech or sight she seemed to feel it,For Joy had passed beyond that line, her whole being responded to it inrigid and sane, which binds personal- stantly. A peace, radiant and serene, ity to the senses. She had been driven soothing and strange, emanated from out, and she could not come into her her. She seemed to draw out of the earthly home again.

possessed the fury of their possession. The twins were put into Joy's arms. Owen visited her regularly at first. She held them carefully, but she never It was intensely painful to him, but for looked at them. She did not hear a long while he stood the pain of it, words, but she never opposed the touch though he agreed with Julia that the of a hand. Her body was as gentle and Featherstones were greatly to blame docile as her spirit had made it; only for the whole wretched business: they her spirit was no longer there.

should never have allowed Joy to nurse The doctors did what they could. Rosemary. Then their life grew gradOwen sent for specialist after specialist. ually comfortable again, and Owen They only repeated one another—a ceased to be able to travel so far away peculiar case of sudden nervous shock from his business. If Joy had been after a prolonged physical and mental conscious, he explained, he would have strain. There was the illness and gone, and Julia agreed with him. death of her little sister. Miss Feath- Julia had become very much soferstone had apparently not quite got tened. She agreed with Owen so often over this before another shock super- that he seldom wished for anybody seded. They were very tactful. A few else. He thought sometimes with a succinct words from Julia had given secret irony that if Julia had only been them the facts, and with “another like this before, he might have been shock superseded” they managed nice- saved from his fatal inadvertence. ly. They all arrived at this conclusion, Only Mrs. Featherstone and Nicolas but none of them could get any further. went regularly to see Joy. Nicolas

For a time Mrs. Featherstone took never failed. He came once a month her home, but Mr. Featherstone could by himself, and sat with Joy for an not bear it. He even became a little hour. She never knew him, and when bitter about it, though he never wholly he went away he was neither sadder lost his faith. He simply said that nor happier; he was merely unchanged. Providence had been too hard upon him. The doctor talked to him quite

Joy herself seemed to feel a peculiar freely about Joy's case, because he restlessness at home. She did not thought Nicolas was a distant and sensleep, so they placed her finally in a sible relative whose affections were not beautifully kept asylum where she involved; probably a trustee. could have all the care and none of the "Personally," he said, "I think Miss anxiety of home.

Featherstone's case is quite incurable. It was some time before the doctors Perhaps another great shock might in the asylum realized that Joy could drag her back, or rather let her out, be a great help to them. Nobody ever because some of her is actually there. continued to be violent in her presence. I try to get at it with the violent cases, Directly Joy felt in the air the agony but I can't get any further. She 's as of a distraught mind,-and without safe as houses with them. I've taken every precaution and tried every test, lately, and she seems somehow—well, but though she deals with them direct- she was always contented, but somely, somehow it 's not by any method of how happier. You 'll see for yourself. consciousness. Not what we mean by Her mother saw her yesterday and it, anyway. I should say she was ,

comes again to-morrow, but she does possessed, only the other way round; n't know any one yet.” not by the devil, as some of these poor Nick thought, when he came into creatures act as if they were, but, Joy's room, that he had never seen well, it sounds a curious thing to say any one look so much alive. She was -by God. I often think to myself sitting close by a large open window; when I look at her, ‘The pure in heart the sun shone full on her golden head. shall see God.'”

There was very little of her left but life. Nicolas shook his head.

It came through her small, eager "She never did see any harm any- hands and through her eyes in a torwhere,” he said. “I don't know about rent of happy expectancy. She sat God; that's not my idea of Him.” there very still as usual, but as if she

“No,” agreed the doctor, “but is n't were waiting for something-somethat what turns the savage cases quiet? thing that she longed for, and which Or if it is n't, what is? I've tried her she knew would come. over and over again with all the worst Nick stood by her side for a long and most dangerous patients. She sits time in silence,--they were alone tothere saying nothing, with that light in gether,—then he said suddenly: her eyes, and they get quiet under it. "Joy, Joy, are n't I unhappy enough They 'd fly at me or a keeper, but she yet for you to speak to me?” just walks straight up to them, and She made no answer, but she moved they don't turn a hair. They look at her head restlessly as if she were listenher as if she had cast a spell on them, ing to something that was a long way and I've seen murder and vice die out off. Nicolas kneeled down beside her under her eyes; and yet she can't hear

hear and put his head in her lap. Instantly a word you say, and I don't think she he felt the tender pressure of her hands, knows the difference between my hand and, looking up at her, he saw her eyes and a blade of grass."

change. They widened for a moment, "She was always like that,” said and then they suddenly grew awake. Nick, huskily, "with dangerous ani- “Nick," she whispered, “my dear, mals, as a little child. They did n't don't trouble, don't be sad; there's hurt her. It took a worse thing than nothing left but love." an animal to hurt her."

She held out her hands into the sunThe doctor coughed discreetly. He shine and laughed. Her eyes, tender wanted to hear more about the case; and full of joy, left his, and rested on he had always wanted to know more, what they saw. but he heard no more from Nicolas. Nick sprang to his feet, and as she

After ten years the authorities sent fell forward, he caught her against his for Nicolas.

heart. “There is a change," the doctor ex- She had never lived there, but it was plained. " “She has got much thinner there she died.

(The end of "The Crystal Heart'')

The Tide of Affairs
Comment on the Times

By Glenn FRANK

TRAILING THE Robin Hoods of MEDICINE

OME weeks ago the trustees of the traffic will bear? If surgeons were pro

S

a

themselves news-makers of the first patients enormous fees, would they not order by the simple announcement of be obliged to charge the average patient their opinion and local ruling that the more than before? Would surgeons be maximum fee any surgeon should able to do as much free work for the charge for an operation, no matter how poor if they were prevented from securwealthy the patient might be, is one ing high fees from patients who could thousand dollars, and that the maxi- afford to pay them? Would not the mum charge for attending patients in very wealthy be the only ones who a hospital should be thirty-five dollars would be benefited by such a scheme? a week. This brief statement captured Would not such a system of standardfront-page space in virtually every ized fees destroy the surgeon's incennewspaper in the United States and

tive to expertness by enabling the man sent editorial pens everywhere to the of lesser ability to charge the same as ink-pots. There was a qualification, his more expert colleague? Has an I believe, to the effect that this did not institution any right to dictate the fees mean that a patient may never, in any that a surgeon, not in the whole-time circumstances, be charged more than employ of the institution, may ask for these sums for medical attention or an his service? operation, but that when more than I have called these the more obvious these sums is charged, the hospital aspects of the matter because I regard authorities must be informed of the the single act of the limitation of surcircumstances and must approve the geons' fees by the Johns Hopkins charge.

Hospital as a case of much ado about At the moment of writing only the nothing, an incident that is important more obvious aspects of the matter only as it may attract public attention have been commented upon. I have to a much broader issue, the problem gone carefully through a mass of news- of an adequate and statesmanlike paper comment upon this ruling, and organization of the medical service of these are the only questions I find dis- the nation. I want, however, before cussed: Have surgeons been profiteer- passing on to a discussion of this ing? Have they been charging all the broader issue, to set down certain observations on the questions stated in through a maze of medical and semithe preceding paragraph.

medical channels where tolls must be

paid to the X-ray man, pathologist, sur§ 2

geon, anæsthetist, trained nurse, and Have surgeons been profiteering, perhaps many others, exclusive of hospi

tal board, before he emerges into the charging all the traffic would bear? Here and there individual surgeons

class of a bankrupt. have undoubtedly charged enormous fees that readily lend color to the prof

This matter of the general high cost iteering charge, but, aside from the of medical attention is of greater sojustice or injustice of such fees, it is cial significance than isolated cases of safe to say that when more than the profiteering on wealthy patients. If Johns Hopkins maximum of one thou- it were true that all great surgeons sand dollars has been charged, it has “profiteer” on their wealthy patients, been asked of men and women upon

we should be safe in saying that a whom its payment was not a hardship. greater part of the proceeds of their The fees that exceed a thousand dol- "profiteering" goes back into work lars do not, therefore, present a press

done for the common good than in the ing social problem of wide concern.

case of any other group of professional The real problem is not that of the few

or business men in America. If the enormous fees, but of the general high trustees of Johns Hopkins Hospital cost of medical attention. This fact would help solve the problem of the was clearly stated a few days ago in high cost of medical attention, let an unsigned article in "The New York them attack the problem below the Times,” which began as follows:

one-thousand dollar line rather than

above it. The movement inaugurated at the If surgeons were prohibited from Johns Hopkins Hospital to limit the fees charging their wealthy patients very which surgeons may charge for opera- large fees, would they not be obliged tions promises little relief to innumer

to charge the average patient more able members of the great middle-class

than before? Yes, without a doubt. who are not financially able to go under the knife of the best surgeons in search Here, as elsewhere, the meek and voice of health. This class is all but barred less middle class would be the butt and from the benefits accruing from the rapid burden-bearer of the situation. If the development of medical science, for the surgeon is barred from making his insimple reason that they are not poor come in a few very high fees, he must enough to accept charity and yet are not make it in more fairly high fees. It is wealthy enough to meet the rising costs asserted that the Johns Hopkins ruling of proper medical treatment.

was made after “long consideration of The fact is now generally admitted by

all the conditions surrounding physileading surgeons and medical men. Here

cians and surgeons, the cost of living, there is growing talk of the necessity for

the scale on which physicians and sura sort of clearing house where a patient may go to have the nature of his com

geons are required to live, and the plaint determined, avail himself of treat

like.” It may be doubted, however, ment, and finally pay one bill for the that this ruling takes into adequate acservices rendered. As it is, he must go count the amount of free work done by