Without waiting to take him with me, or think, or do anything but feel deadly savage anger, I hurried across the garden and into Doctor Moore’s office, where he was just laying off his gloves and dust coat.

“What do you mean, John Moore, by daring, daring to think you can go and take Billy away from me?” I demanded looking at him with what must have been such fear and madness in my face that he was startled as he came close to the table against which I leaned.  His face had grown white and quiet at my attack and he waited to answer for a long horrible minute that pulled me apart like one of those inquisition machines they used to torture women with when they didn’t know any better modern way to do it.

“I didn’t know Bill would tell you so soon, Mrs. Molly,” he said at last gently, looking past me out of the window into the garden.  “I was coming over just as soon as I got back from this call to talk with you about it, even if it did seem to intrude Bill’s and my affairs into a day that—­that ought to be all yours to be—­be happy in.  But Bill, you see, is no respecter of—­of other people’s happy days if he wants them in his.”

“Billy’s happy days are mine and mine are his and he has the heart not to leave me out even if you would have him!” I exclaimed, a sob gathering in my heart at the thought that my little lover hadn’t even taken in a situation that would separate him from me across an ocean.

“Bill is too young to understand when he is—­is being bereaved, Molly,” he said and still he didn’t look at me.  “I have been appointed a delegate to represent the State Medical Association at the Centennial Congress in London the middle of next month—­and somehow I—­feel a bit pulled lately and I thought I would take the little chap and have—­have a wander-jahr. You won’t need him now, Mrs. Peaches, and I couldn’t go without him, could I?” The sadness in his voice would have killed me if I hadn’t let it madden me instead.

“Won’t need Billy any more!” I exclaimed with a rage that made my voice literally scorch past my lips.  “Was there ever a minute in his life that I haven’t needed Billy?  How dare you say such a thing to me?  You are cruel, cruel, and I have always known it, cold and cruel like all other men who don’t care how they wring the life blood out of women’s hearts and are willing to use their children to do it with.  Even the law doesn’t help us poor helpless creatures and you can take our children and go with them to the ends of the earth and leave us suffering.  I have gone on and believed that you were not like what the women say all men are and that you cared whether you hurt people or not, but now I see that you are just the same and you’ll take my baby away if you want to—­and I can do nothing to prevent it—­nothing in the wide world—­I am completely and absolutely helpless—­you coward, you!”