She looked at him again. "If I were you, Mr. Dalton, I'd go home and
feel pretty big and strong and well, and I'd hope pretty hard."
He looked at her, bewildered.
She was on her feet. She ran her eye over his face and person. "I'd wear
the cleanest, freshest clothes I could get, and I'd look so 'twould do
her good just to set eyes on me."
He flushed under the two days' growth of beard and ran his hand
awkwardly across his chin. "But they won't let me see her?" he said.
"Well, I don't know," responded Aunt Jane. "It'll do her good--whether
she sees you or not," she added energetically.
He rose with a smile, holding out his hand. "I believe you're right," he
said. "It gives me something to do, anyway, and that's worth a good
deal."
"Yes, it's something to do," she responded, "and I don't suppose any of
us knows just what cures folks."
"Could I see her to-morrow, perhaps?" he asked, watching her face.
She shook her head emphatically. "Not till I think best," she replied
with decision.
His face fell.
"And not then," she said, "unless you're feeling pretty well and strong
and happy."
He gave a little abrupt laugh. "Oh, you've fixed that all right. I
shan't sigh--not once--in a dark room--with the lights out."
Aunt Jane smiled serenely. "That's good." At the door she paused a
moment. "I wouldn't reckon too much on seeing her," she said. "I shan't
let any one see her till she asks. She won't pay much attention for
three-four days yet."
A peculiar look crossed the man's dark face. "That's all right," he
said. "I can wait."
Outside the door he lifted his face a little to the fresh breeze. His
eyes stared absently at the drifting sky. "Now, how did she know Edith
wouldn't want to see me?" he said softly: "how did she find that out?"
V
Aunt Jane bent her head and listened to the heavy breathing. Then she
spoke softly to the nurse in charge, who listened obediently and went
away. It was not an unusual thing for Aunt Jane to assume control of a
case at any moment. Perhaps she was most likely to do this about three
or four o'clock in the morning when all the hospital was asleep and a
chill had crept into the air. The nurse in charge of a critical case
would look up to find Aunt Jane standing beside her, fresh from a cold
bath, with a smile on her big, restful face and a whispered command on
her lips that sent the tired nurse to bed with a clear conscience.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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