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was such a rumor.”
    “I tried to deny it, but no one would believe me!” Andrea said hotly.
    “A likely tale,” he said scathingly. “I know you nurses. You seem to think that the be-all and the end-all, the Alpha and the Omega of your career is to be——”
    A grey fury welled up inside her. She knew what he was going to say.
    “ How dare you ,” she breathed slowly. “ How dare you .”
    “Oh, come now,” he mocked. “No airs, please. Don’t try to make me believe that the affair not only leaked out of its own accord, but that you even took the trouble to deny it. I just won’t believe it.”
    “I really don’t care what you believe!” she declared angrily, and wrenched open the door and made her escape.

Chapter Four
    FOR the remainder of that day, Andrea strove to fight down her agitation. She walked away from the theatre almost in a state of fury. How dared he assume that she had spread that ridiculous rumor merely on the strength of being given a lift. That he should think she had actually boasted about the incident made her seethe. The admiration she had felt for him in the theatre was swept away by the turbulence of her anger. “The be-all and end-all; the Alpha and the Omega” indeed! The idea was preposterous! Such vanity was not to be borne.
    It was perhaps fortunate that she was off duty during that afternoon. At least, she had reached a degree of composure before going on duty for the evening. The work, combined with an hour’s interruption for a lecture, served to divert her thoughts somewhat, so that by bedtime her hot anger had cooled a little.
    It was renewed in full force, however, the next morning when she was summoned to Matron's office to receive a reprimand for rudeness to the surgeon.
    “After all, Nurse,” Matron said as she regarded Andrea across her desk, “Mr. Graham is our chief surgeon and is entitled to a high degree of respect—especially from our probationer nurses—irrespective of what their relationship off duty might be.”
    Andrea started visibly. Her lips opened to make a protest, but Matron continued.
    “You did not tell me, Nurse, that you were acquainted with Mr. Graham before you came here. I am presuming that such must be the case, as I am told you were out with him yesterday evening. It is hardly likely that you have become as friendly as that in your very brief stay here.”
    Coloring, Andrea told Matron exactly what had occurred. She smiled. “Oh, I see. Well, now you will realize how easily those kind of rumors can begin. In a place like this where a large number of people live and work in such close contact, it is easy to cause a scandal. It was a rather unfortunate occurrence on your first evening off duty. Be careful not to let such a thing happen again.” She paused, her hands clasped before her on the desk. Then she went on: “I am fully aware that our doctors and nurses quite frequently fall genuinely in love, being human, and while I make every allowance in those cases, I have to deal very severely with flirting. Too much of that would very soon get the hospital a bad name, quite apart from the effect on the work. However, you don’t look the flirtatious type, and I am quite sure that this silly rumor will very soon be forgotten. Regarding the matter of your rudeness to Mr. Graham, there is no need for you to apologize to him on this occasion, but don’t let me hear of such a thing again.”
    The serene grey eyes rested kindly on Andrea for a moment, then she said briskly, “That will be all, Nurse.”
    In all justice, Andrea knew that Matron had been most kind and understanding, but the knowledge that Martin Graham had actually reported her renewed her dislike of him.
    “Really, Virginia,” she exploded as the two girls sat on her bed that evening after duty. “What a despicable thing to do, reporting me to Matron! After all, he began the argument.”
    Virginia laughed, though not unsympathetically.
    “My dear child, you don’t argue