He was wondering why he had not noticed before the little hollows in his wife's cheeks.

"Billy, what have you been doing ?" "Why, n-nothing extra, only some sweeping, and cleaning out the refrigerator." "Sweeping! Cleaning! _You!_ I thought Mrs.Durgin did that." "She does.

I mean she did.

But she couldn't come.

She broke her leg--fell off the stepladder where she was three days ago.