“She’s in bed, but she’s not sleeping,” said Miss Lewis, with more feeling than I’d have expected. “I was going to ask you if you would see her, Doctor. Since the shake-up yesterday, we have no medical internes, and the surgical side is full up.” “She--she didn’t ask for me!” said Tommy, with his brown eyes kindling. But Miss Lewis shook her head. “She’s hardly spoken at all. She just lies there with her eyes wide open and her face white, watching the door. An hour ago one of the nurses pushed it open quietly, for fear she was asleep. Miss Blake lay and watched it moving, and when Linda--Miss Smith went in, she fainted again.” Tommy took a turn up and down the room. “She’s had a profound shock,” he said. “I’m not afraid of it, unless--” He stopped at the window and stood looking out. “Unless what?” said Tish, but he didn’t answer. Instead, he stalked over and rang the bell. “I’ll have the hall nurse relieve you, Miss Lewis,” he said. “We can’t leave my aunt alone, and somebody must see to Miss Blake. There’s some natural explanation for what happened last night, and we must find it and tell her.” Aggie began to tell about the aunt with the hair, but before she had even buried her, the door opened and Miss Blake herself came in. “Did you ring?” she asked. She was dead white, lips and all, with deep circles around her eyes, but her step was brisk and her voice cheerful. As Tish said, if you could only have heard her and not seen her, nobody would have believed what had happened. Tommy gave her one look, and hauled a chair forward. “Sit down,” he ordered. “You are not fit to be on duty.” “Thank you, but--I am all right again,” she said, hesitating. “Please sit down,” said Tommy, with a note in his voice which I never heard him use to Tish. And she took the chair, glancing around at all three of us and then at him. “Miss Blake,” he said, “I have decided to become your medical adviser!” “Thanks very much!” she said, with the ghost of a smile. “On one condition,” he went off, polishing his glasses very hard with his handkerchief. “You will have to obey orders.” “That’s the first lesson in the training school,” she assented, the smile deepening. “Always obey the doctor’s orders.” “Stuff!” said Tommy sternly. “If I order you to bed this minute, you’ll not go! The trouble is, Aunt Tish and Honorary Aunts Lizzie and Aggie,” he said, addressing us each in turn, “the trouble is that in a hospital medicine is a drug on the market. It’s too accessible. So are doctors. They’re always on tap, like city water, plentiful and free and therefore subject, like the said water, to the scorn and contumely of the beneficiaries.” “Indeed, Doctor,” Miss Blake began, but he interrupted her. “Now, Miss Blake,” he said, “at your earnest solicitation I am about to undertake your case, and the first condition is--” “Obedience?” She shot a glance at him from under her long, dark lashes, and Aggie raised her eyebrows across the bed at me.