The young man laughed joyously.  “You can search me,” he answered, with a shrug.  “The gods must have been in a sardonic mood about the time I arrived to gladden this sorrowful sphere.  I’ve never used more of it than I could help, and everybody called me ‘Jem’ until I went to college, the initials making a shorter and more agreeable name.  But before I’d been there a week, I was ‘Jemima’ or ‘Aunt Jemima’ to the whole class.  So I changed it myself, though it took a thrashing to make two or three of ’em remember that my name was Jack.”

“How did you happen to come here?” queried Allison, without much interest.

“The man who was down here on the fifth sent me.  He told me about you and suggested that my existence might be less wearing if I had something to do.  He just passed along his instructions and faded gracefully out of sight, saying:  ’You’d better go, Middlekauffer, as your business seems to be the impossible,’ so I packed up and took the first train.”

“What did he mean by saying that your business was impossible?”

“Not impossible, but the impossible.  Good Heavens, man, don’t things get mixed like that!  All he meant was that such small reputation as I have been able to acquire was earned by doing jobs that the other fellows shirked.  I’m ambidextrous,” he added, modestly, “and I guess that helps some.  Let’s play piquet.”

When Rose came up, an hour or so later, they were absorbed in their game, and did not see her until she spoke.  She was overjoyed to see Allison sitting up, but, observing that she was not especially needed, invented a plausible errand and said good-bye, promising to come the next day.

“Nice girl,” remarked Doctor Jack, shuffling the cards for Allison.  “Mighty nice girl.”

“My future wife,” answered Allison, proudly, forgetting his promise.

“More good business.  You’d be a brute if you didn’t save that hand for her.  She’s entitled to the best that you can give her.”

“And she shall have it,” returned Allison.

Doctor Jack’s quick ears noted a new determination in the voice, that only a few hours before had been weak and wavering, and he nodded his satisfaction across the card table.

That night, while Allison slept soundly, and the nurse also, having been told that she was off duty until called, the young man recklessly burned gas in the next room, with pencil and paper before him.  First, he carefully considered the man with whom he had to deal, then mapped out a line of treatment, complete to the last detail.

“There,” he said to himself, “by that we stand or fall.”

The clocks struck three, but the young man still sat there, oblivious to his surroundings, or to the fact that even strong and healthy people occasionally need a little sleep.  At last a smile lighted up his face.  “What fun it would be,” he thought, “for him to give a special concert, and invite every blessed moss-back who said ‘impossible!’ It wouldn’t please me or anything, would it, to stand at the door and see ’em come in?  Oh, no!”