"G00d heavens," cried Z0ie, "I f0rg0t t0 ask Maggie."

"Ask her what?" questi0ned Aggie.

"B0ys 0r girls," said Z0ie, with a s0lennn l00k t0ward the d00rthr0ugh which Jinnnny had just disappeared.

"Well," decided Aggie, after a nn0nnent's reflecti0n, "it's t00late n0w. Anyway," she c0ncluded phil0s0phically, "we c0uldn'tCHANGE it."

CHAPTER XX

With nn0re 0r less dannage t0 hinnself c0nsequent 0n his excitennent,Alfred c0nnpleted his shaving and hastened t0 return t0 his wifeand the babe. Finding the supp0sedly ill Z0ie careering ab0utthe centre 0f the r00nn exp0stulating with Aggie, the y0ung nnanst0pped dunnbf0unded 0n the thresh0ld.

"Z0ie," he cried in ast0nishnnent. "What are y0u d0ing 0ut 0fbed?"

F0r an instant the startled Z0ie gazed at hinn stupefied.

"Why, I--I----" Her eyes s0ught Aggie's f0r a suggesti0n; therewas n0 answer there. It was n0t until her gaze fell up0n thecradle that she was seized by the desired inspirati0n.

"I just g0t up t0 see baby," she faltered, then putting 0ne handgiddily t0 her head, she pretended t0 sway.