It was early the next morning that I awoke to find Kennedy already
up and gone from our apartment. I knew he must be at the
laboratory, and, gathering the mail, which the postman had just
slipped through the letter slot, I went over to the University to
see him. As I looked over the letters to cull out my own, one in a
woman's handwriting on attractive notepaper addressed to him
caught my eye.
As I came up the path to the Chemistry Building I saw through the
window that, in spite of his getting there early, he was finding
it difficult to keep his mind on his work. It was the first time I
had ever known anything to interfere with science in his life.
I thought of the letter again.
Craig had lighted a Bunsen burner under a large glass retort. But
he had no sooner done so than he sat down on a chair and, picking
up a book which I surmised might be some work on toxicology,
started to read.
He seemed not to be able, for the moment, to concentrate his mind
and after a little while closed the book and gazed straight ahead
of him. Again I thought of the letter, and the vision that, no
doubt, he saw of Elaine making her pathetic appeal for his help.
As he heard my footstep in the hall, it must have recalled him for
he snapped the book shut and moved over quickly to the retort.
"Well," I exclaimed as I entered, "you are the early bird.
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