Married women -- Fiction; Virginia -- Fiction; Yellow fever -- Fiction
With the rosy dawn of the summer day consciousness returned to Bruce
Conway--a dazed, half-consciousness, though, that only took in part of
the scene, and a memory that only held Grace Winans. He muttered of her
in his distracted slumbers; he waked and asked for her with a piteous
anxiety that went to Lulu's tender heart.
"Had we better send for her?" she wistfully queried of her brother.
"No, indeed, little sister; it would only complicate matters. She would
not come; he does not deserve it. Poor boy! I am sorry, but we can do
nothing."
"Nothing, brother?"
"To bring her here, I mean. Try to reason with him, Lulu, and talk him
out of this feverish fancy."
"Grace--Gracie!" came in a whisper from the bed.
Lulu was by him in an instant.
"Will not I do as well as Grace?"
"No." His pallid brow contracted in a vexed frown. "Go away; you are
not Grace."
"No, but I am Willard's sister. Cannot you like me a little for
his sake, and not worry yourself so much?" she asked, gently and
persuasively.
"Cannot you get Grace to come--won't you try?" he whispered, in a faint
voice.
A low tinkle of the door-bell seemed to echo his words. Half raising
his handsome head, he looked at her eagerly.
"That may be Grace now," he said. "Won't you go and see?"
"Yes," she answered, gently, though she sighed as she went; "I will go
and see."
She started in astonishment when she opened the door. Outside was a
pleasant-faced Irishwoman, dressed plainly and neatly, with a pretty
babe in her arms. It was Mrs. Winans' nurse and child.
Grace had learned from Miss Story where Bruce was, and when Norah went
out to take the little boy for his morning airing, she had directed her
to call and inquire of Captain Clendenon how Mr. Conway was getting on.
Norah introduced herself and her business briefly and clearly, and Lulu
invited her in and gave her a seat.
"And this is Mrs. Winans' baby?" she said, taking the beautiful boy
from the nurse's arms and kissing his rosy face. "How lovely he is!"
Little Paul smiled fearlessly back at her, and something in the dark
flash of his eyes so vividly recalled his father that she thought
suddenly of Bruce Conway waiting up stairs for her.
"I will bring my brother down to tell you exactly how Mr. Conway is,"
she said; and turning away with the little bundle of lace, and cambric,
and laughing babyhood in her arms, she went back to Bruce Conway's room.
Her brother looked surprised at the strange little visitor. She smiled
and went up to the bedside, holding triumphantly up the tiny baby that,
quite unabashed by the strange scene, jumped, and crowed, and smiled
brilliantly at Bruce.
"Mrs. Winans did not come, but she sent her representative, Mr.
Conway," she said, thinking it would please him to see the pretty
child. "This is her son."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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