When Jane got out and her father drove on toward the hospital Kitty couldn’t keep the tears back. What a mess she had made of the whole business! If she had known Brad must go to the hospital it would have been so much easier to stop at the supply dock, regulations or no regulations. Now everybody at the hospital would know, anyhow, that he had been shot. How the talk would fly from mouth to mouth. Even if Punaro wasn’t the guilty party he would learn about it. If he was really in league with Beeson he, in turn, would get the facts, and surmise that they had visited Terrapin Island again. In that event she feared for Uncle Mose’s safety. But after all, she thought finally, what did any of this matter compared with Brad’s welfare? Her father had a stretcher brought down to take Brad to the emergency room. As Kitty followed into the hospital she said, “Dad, if Brad’s blood is type one I’ll be glad to give him blood for a transfusion.” Her father turned and flashed her a smile. “Thanks, Kitten. But I think we have a generous supply of all types here. I’ll go on to the emergency room and see what his condition is.” “Oh, Dad, I don’t think I can stand it if Brad dies. It’s all my fault. I was the one who suggested going out there today.” “Stop blaming yourself, my child, for everything that goes wrong!” He took a key from his pocket. “Here’s the key to my office. Wait up there where it’s quiet. I’ll come up later and tell you how Brad is—and I want to hear all about what happened.” Kitty was glad he had thought of this, for her wet clothes and troubled face would certainly invite questions from any friends who might see her. She hurried out to the wing and up the steps to the second floor, instead of taking the elevator. She had never been in the administrative wing at night when everyone was off duty. There was light in only one office as she went down the short hall on the upper floor. Strangely enough she felt more nervous there than she had in the lonely marshes before the shooting. She was tempted to turn back and go to Hazel’s room, but she knew that would invite questions and call for explanations, for which she was in no mood at the moment. In her father’s office she could be quiet to calm herself after so much excitement and strain. She unlocked the door and touched the light button. She crossed to her father’s desk chair and sat down a moment. She felt she couldn’t live through this interval while waiting to hear about Brad. To divert her mind she reached for a book in a rack at the back of the desk. It proved to be a medical tome, whose language seemed dry as dust to her excited mind. In the basket at the right of the desk were some addressed envelopes and a stack of orders that had been made up and signed by her father, but had not yet been mailed. Her eyes ran down the list of drugs and supplies that had been ordered.