"I can't just believe," he said gently, "that it is not very important to somebody to know if you are ill." "It is just my affair," she answered with equal courtesy of manner but no less finally. "Believe me, please--and tell me what to do. Shall I not be better to-morrow--or in a day or two?" He was silent for a moment. Then, "It is not a time for you to be without friends," said Red Pepper Burns. "I will prove to you that you have them at hand. After that you will find there are others. I am going to take you to a pleasant place I know of, where you will have nothing to do but to lie still and rest and get well. The best of nurses will look after you. You will obey orders for a little--my orders, if you want to trust me--" "Where is this place?" The question was a little breathless. "Where do you guess?" "In--a hospital?" "In one of the best in the world." "I am--pretty ill then?" "It's a bit of a wonder," said Burns in his quietest tone, "how you have kept around these last four days. I wish you hadn't." "If I hadn't," said the girl rather faintly, "I shouldn't have been in this town and I shouldn't have come to Doctor Burns. So--I'm glad I did." "Good!" said Burns, smiling. "It's fine to start with the confidence of one's patient. I'm glad you're going to trust me. Now we'll take you to another room where you can lie down again till my office hours are over and I can run into the city with you." He rose, beckoning. But his patient protested: "Please tell me how to get there. I can go perfectly well. My head is better, I think." "That's lucky. But the first of my orders Miss Linton, is that you come with me now." He summoned Miss Mathewson, gave her directions, and dismissed the two. In ten minutes the heavy eyes were again closed, while their owner lay motionless again upon a bed in an inner room which was often used for such purposes. "I'm sorry I can't take her in now," Burns said to Amy presently in an interval between patients. "I don't want to call the ambulance out here for a walking case, and there's no need of startling her with it, anyhow. I wish I had some way to send her." "Mr. Jordan King just came into the office. His car is outside. Couldn't he take her in?" "Of course he could--and would, I've no doubt. He's only after his mother's prescription. Send him in here next, will you, please?" To the tall, well-built, black-eyed young man who answered this summons in some surprise at being admitted before his turn, Burns spoke crisply: "Here's the prescription, Jord, and you'll have to take it to Wood's to get it filled. I hope it'll do your mother a lot of good, but I'm not promising till I've tried it out pretty well. Now will you do me a favour?" "Anything you like, Doctor."