Dianna Watson paused before the hall mirror to set her hat again. It was black and rimmed around her face with soft moving little feathers. She adjusted her collar and smoothed her coat down over her stomach. It seemed quite flat. She turned and looked at herself over her shoulder.

“Mother.” A tiny girl in a ruffled nightgown crept up behind her in the hall. Dianna noticed that her voice sounded very small in the largeness of the house.

“Yes, Candy.”

“I came to say my goodnight.”

“Goodnight, dear,” she stooped down keeping her head as erect as possible so she wouldn’t lose the position of her hat. She kissed the child briefly. “How does your throat feel?”

“Hurts.” She pointed a tiny finger into her mouth.

“Well your nice medicine will make it feel better.” She touched the child’s curly black hair. “She’s going to be very pretty,” she thought. The door chimes sounded.” There’s your sitter. Now run to bed, and I’ll send the nice lady to tuck you in.” The child slipped away from her and padded back into the dimness of the hall.

“Dianna opened the door and smiled. “Good Evening. Won’t you come in. My little girl has just gone to bed. She won’t give you any trouble. There is some coke in the refrigerator and of course you are welcome to it. I’ve left a number on the drain board, my mother-in-law in case anything happens.” She looked quickly around her. “I guess that’s all, —oh, yes. She has a little cold, she should have another spoonful of her medicine at ten. It’s on the drain board too.”

“Fine, I’ll take care of things.” The sitter was tall girl with smooth black hair. “What time will you be home?”

“She looks very efficient,” Dianna thought. “I won’t be too late, home by midnight. I should think. We’re going out to dinner. –You’re welcome to the T.V. It’s in the playroom next to Dianna’s room.” The telephone rang. “That’s no doubt my husband—I’m late. I was supposed to meet him right after work—You go down and say goodnight to Candy. It’s the last room.”

“Hello,” she picked up the ivory receiver. “Yes Darling. Well, I’m just leaving—I had an appointment this afternoon and I’ve only had an hour. Yes, I’ll be there as soon as I can.—Well I’ll tell you about it later dear. No, it wasn’t golf. I’ll tell you at dinner. Yes, soon. Goodbye dear—.

She took her handbag from the coffee table and stepped out into the evening. She sighed deeply as she closed the door behind. “Things would be alright,” she told herself. She’d tell Ralph at dinner and Mother Watson tomorrow at bridge. Nothing would change for a while and then only for a few months. She smiled weakly as she started the car. After all she should want children. It was normal and perfectly right. Ralph would be glad.

Several people turned as she entered the Rocca Room. Their faces plainly showed that they wondered who she was. “It must be the hat,” she thought. The Maitre de showed her to her husband’s table. Ralph stood and helped her with her coat. “Glad you made it before Mike and Nancy. He rested his hands on her shoulders. “You look—Elegant.” She smiled brightly and then remembered what she was going to say. “You didn’t tell me that Nancy and Mike were coming. I expected it would be the two of us.”

Ralph looked for a sign of disappointment in his wife’s expression but found none. “No—I should have mentioned.” He felt flattered that she would have worn a new hat just for him and didn’t try to guess its price.

“I really like Nancy, only she’s not exactly the most interesting conversationalist.”

“Here they are?”

“Ralph stood up and Dianna turned. “Nancy,” she cooed. “Hello dear.”

“My what an elegant hat, Dianna.” Nancy squose her gloved hand. “How’s your darling little Candy.”

“Quite fine and how are you and your wonderful children?” She tapped her foot under the table.

“Fine, you’d never know them the way they are growing.” Nancy Tabbeto was an ordinary sized woman with blondish hair. She did it up herself and rather nicely, Dianna had to admit. She dressed rather old, however and talked incessantly about her children. Dianna had tried to help her inviting her to bridge and golfing, but Nancy seemed to want to stay home and never responded very much. “Why little Mike is just darling. He’s just starting to pretend—I guess Candy’s at that stage now isn’t she?”

“I suppose she is.” Dianna thought she would be sure to ask Mrs. Maws, although it was probably harmless.

They ordered and began their dinner while Nancy gave a detailed description of little Mike’s latest trip to the Doctor. Dianna was wishing somehow that she could sit over by Ralph and let her know what she had found out but she ate casually and smiled at the right times.

How could Nancy be so stupid she thought. She put such emphasis on ordinary things. She was a very ordinary person really. Vaguely she wondered if Mrs. Maws ever talked to her friends about things Candy did during the day. Candy was always very well liked and in their hours together. In the morning in bed before breakfast and usually at four after nap. She sat quietly and was read to or chatted politely about her toys. She glanced up at Ralph. He was listening and smiling. She wondered if he liked hearing about Nancy’s children. Well she didn’t. The roast beef was too well done and she left it at the side of her plate.

“Excuse me Madame.” The telephone for you a Mrs. Watson The waiter stood at her elbow and placed a phone next to her plate. She smiled briefly then lifted the receiver.

“Hello.”

“Darling, this is mother Watson. Would you put Ralph on.”

“Surely, Mother.” She handed the receiver across to Ralph being careful of the chicken in the way of the cord.

“Yes, mother…What! Have you called a doctor? Well stay there. We’ll be right home,” he handed back the receiver and his face was the color of cold ashes. “Candy’s having convulsions.”

Nancy stood up. “Oh no!”

“Is it serious?” Dianna’s heart beat a little faster. Ralph was already holding her chair. He helped her quickly into her coat. “He handed Mike a bill—Take care of the check will you?”

“Sure—“

“Maybe I could help—should I come?” Nancy reached for her coat.

“No, mother’s called the doctor. Common Di—.” He nearly pushed her out to the car.

The sitter met them at the door. She was in tears and her dress was wet. She said nothing but hurried into the hall. Ralph stood ahead of her and Dianna ran along behind wondering what was going to happen.

Mrs. Watson sat holding the black haired child wrapped in a blanket, rocking her back and forth. Candy was sobbing.

The grandmother looked up. “She’s alright just now. She’s had two. I don’t know where the doctor was, but maybe she’s alright now.

Dianna touched Candy’s hair. Her face was hot, terrible hot. She felt a sudden alarm. “Is she very sick?”

“I’m afraid so.” Mrs. Watson looked up at Ralph again. “Why don’t you try that doctor again.”

Candy began to cry harder and became very stiff in Mrs. Watson’s arms. The child began to scream.

Dianna clutched her coat. “Oh mother, is she going to die?”

“No, I hope not.” Mrs. Watson rose and hurried toward the bathroom. The baby sitter had the tub full of water—the child began to gasp and cry. Her face began to darken. They plunged her in the water and rubbed her limbs.

Dianna watched in terror—“Ralph”—he was at her side. He put an arm around her for an instant and then moved closer to Candy.

The child slowly loosened and her gasping subsided. She began to sob again. “Mrs. Maws, Mrs. Maws,” she cried.

“Oh she wants Mrs. Maws,” thought Dianna. Goodness if only she were here.

“There, there kitten, grandma’s here.”

“Mrs. Maws,” the child began to scream again.

“Dianna” Mrs. Watson turned to her. “See what you can do.”

Dianna was shaking. She knelt down beside the child in her mother-in-law’s arms. “Candy-dear-its-mother-dear. Mrs. Maws isn’t here dear, but mother’s here. Don’t cry dear.”

“Mother,” the child opened her eyes and sobbed less. She put out her arms and put them around Dianna’s neck. Dianna lifted her child and pulled the blanket closer around her. She felt the weight in her arms and the little hands clinging to her dress. She was glad that Mrs. Maws hadn’t been there. “There, there baby,” she whispered. She realized when she heard her voice that she was crying. Somewhere down the hall the doorbell rang and she heard Ralph and the doctor. She carried Candy into her room and sat down holding the hot little body very close to her. The child’s hair was wet and Dianna smoothed it out of her eyes. Candy was crying softly now and she looked as if she might sleep.

Ralph came in with her pediatrician. He knelt and examined the child in Dianna’s arms. He talked in low tones and prepared a hypodermic. “Oh she’s got to be all right,” Dianna thought. “The doctor’s going to give her a shot, she’s got to be all right.” Dianna didn’t move when the doctor injected the drug. He gave directions. “Above all watch her carefully,” he cautioned.

Ralph walked back with him.

“I’ll stay tonight,” Mother Watson said. “She’ll need to be sat up with. I know you’ll need to get some rest, but don’t cry anymore. She’ll be all right now.”

“No mother, you go on home. I’ll stay with her, Ralph and I will. Just tell us what to do.”

After his mother and the sitter left. Ralph came back down the hall. “I’ll take her now Di.” Candy had fallen asleep.

“Well—I’d kind of like to just hold her Ralph.”

“You’ll get awfully tired,” he lifted Candy and laid her in her bed. “You go on to bed, Di. You’re pretty upset. I’ll take care of things.”

“No, I’ll sit up.” She was crying again, “Is she going to be okay, Ralph?”

“I hope so.”

“She could have died…”

“Yes, I guess so.”

Dianna cried for a while, she and Ralph sat together on the low daybed and he held her. She felt as if she’d nearly lost something that she hardly knew she had. “She cried for Mrs. Maws.”

“I know, Honey. It was just natural. Mrs. Maws’ taken care of her.”

“I’ve—oh Ralph do you think if anything like this ever happened again she’d cry for me?”

He was quiet in the dark for a moment. –“Well I guess that depends on you.” He answered.

A while later she spoke again. “Ralph, I went to the doctor today.”

He turned toward her. “I’m going to have a baby.—Sometime in April.” –He was quiet for a long while. Then he asked, “Are you happy about it?”

“I wasn’t very happy this afternoon, but I think I am going to be. Ralph, I think I’ll be very happy about it all.”

“That makes me very happy,” he said and he kissed her. “Very, very happy, Dianna.”