He smoothed out the crumpled morsel with his customary deliberation, drawing his shaggy red brows together over a few lines of minute writing which became visible as he did so.
"Dear Max," he read, "I'm sorry I've been a beast to you lately.

Please don't take any notice of this but let us just be friends for the future.

Yours, "Olga." There was no mockery in the green eyes as they deciphered the impulsive note, nor did the somewhat hard lips smile.

Max stood for some seconds after reading it, staring fixedly at the paper, and when at length he looked up his face wore a guarded expression with which many of his patients were familiar.

He took a pocket-book from an inner pocket and laid the crumpled scrap within it.