For half an hour she kept on without stopping; but she then began
to be conscious that effectual work was being done, for, at first,
the sufferer sitting behind her had been unable to keep still a
moment; but gradually she became less restless, and at the end of
forty-five minutes had grown perfectly quiet and lay back in her
chair, her face pale but peaceful.
"Dear Miss Reynolds, you must go now. I must not keep you any
longer," she said, at length.
"My child, I shall not leave you while you need me," her teacher
returned, and, going to her side, she tenderly smoothed back the
dark hair from her forehead.
"I am much easier, so do not mind leaving me. You will be missed,
and some one will be coming for you; just let me stay here for a
while and be sure not to tell anyone where I am, or why I am among
the missing," Katherine pleaded, for she did not wish Dr. Stanley
to learn her whereabouts, knowing he would seek her and insist
upon dressing her burns.
"I will be very discreet; but I am going to keep you with me all
night," her teacher replied. "Now, if you can bear it, I will help
you off with your clothes. You shall have one of my night-robes
and go straight to bed."
With fine tact she had refrained from asking a single question;
but the suffering face, the pretty dress all burned and
discolored, the handkerchief wrapped about her hand, told her
something of what had occurred, and she could wait until later for
details.
She dexterously assisted her to undress; but while doing so the
handkerchief was displaced and dropped to the floor and she had to
shut her lips resolutely to repress the cry of pity that almost
escaped her as she saw what it had covered. The next instant she
was mentally repeating the "scientific statement of being,"
[Footnote: "Science and Health," page 468.] while she quietly
replaced the square of linen and pinned it to keep it in place.
Then, with a grateful smile and a sigh of content, Katherine
slipped into bed and sank upon her pillow.
"Now go, please," she begged again, "and find out, if you can, how
Dorothy is."
"No, Kathie, I am not going just yet," was the decided reply,
though there was a startled heart-bound at the girl's reference to
Dorothy. She asked no questions, however, but, going back to her
desk, continued her reading as before.
In about fifteen minutes she glanced towards the bed and saw by
her regular breathing that Katherine had fallen asleep. She bowed
her head upon her book for a moment, and when she lifted it again
there were tears on her cheeks, and in her eyes "a light that was
ne'er on sea or land."
Turning the gas low, she slipped softly out of the room and went
downstairs to join the gay company who were all unconscious of
what had been going on above.
Five minutes later Dr. Stanley came to her, his fine face overcast
and anxious.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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