England -- Social life and customs -- 19th century -- Fiction; Love stories; Twins -- Fiction; Young women -- Fiction
"Oh, father, how could you, how could you!" she said over and over again
that night. "It is not right, it is not fair, that you should torture me
like this. If I were only there I should not be so unnerved and
frightened, but everything is worse when one is kept away."
Waveney was right from her own point of view. She would have been her
brave, resolute little self at Cleveland Terrace, and Mollie would have
had the tenderest and most cheery of nurses.
"I should not have taken it. I should have been careful and left the
nurse to do things," she said later on. "It was just father's
nervousness."
Dr. Duncan's opinion she treated with contempt. It was part of a
doctor's duty to say these things.
More than once Althea crept to the girl's door; but she could hear
nothing. Once she turned the handle, but the door was locked. Waveney,
who was still sitting huddled up in the easy-chair, heard the soft,
retreating footsteps go down the passage again. Her fire had burnt out,
and she felt strangely chilled. "I may as well go to bed," she thought,
drearily; but it was long before the deadly cold left her limbs. Even
when she slept, her dreams troubled her, and she woke the next morning
to see Althea standing beside her bed with a cup of hot coffee in one
hand, and in her other a yellow envelope.
"Will you drink this, my dear? Doreen and I have had our breakfast, but
there is no need for you to hurry. If you lie still Nurse Marks will
bring you yours."
"Oh, no, I could not think of such a thing," returned Waveney, quite
shocked. "I am not ill. I would rather get up, please. I am so sorry I
have overslept myself; but I was late, and----" Then she looked at the
telegram wistfully. "Is that for me, Miss Harford?"
"No, my dear, it is for me. Moritz sent over to Cleveland Terrace quite
early this morning. You will see what he says.
"'Miss Ward not so well. A bad night. Shall wire for Richmond.'"
"What does it mean?" returned Waveney, faintly, and her head sank back
on the pillow. "I don't understand it."
"It means that you and Mollie have a good friend," returned Althea,
sitting down beside her, "a very kind and generous friend. Moritz wants
to help you all. Sir Hindley Richmond is the great throat doctor. He is
wonderfully clever, and some of his cures are marvellous; but his fees
are immense, and of course Moritz knows that Mr. Ward could not afford
to have him, so he is arranging it with Dr. Duncan."
"But we have no right--we have no claim on Mr. Ingram," stammered
Waveney. "But he is doing it for Mollie's sake."
She said it quite simply. In her own mind it had long been an assured
fact that Mr. Ingram was her sister's lover. How could any one mistake
such devotion?
"Yes, he is doing it for Mollie's sake," returned Althea, with equal
frankness. "Poor fellow! he is very unhappy about her, and his only
comfort is to do her service."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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