"He will be presently, Atom." "Will he come straight up to me?" "Oh, yes." "Are you _sure_? Perhaps he’s talkin’ to Aunt Kezia now?" "I’ll go and see," soothingly. In a few minutes he came. Miss Kezia came upstairs with him, but at Nell’s request she followed her presently from the room, and left the doctor and the Atom alone. "Dr. Everton!" "Yes, my dear?" Pause. He looked down at her surprised. Sheila Pat was breathing hard; her eyes were wildly eager. "Something is troubling you," he said gently. "Tell me what it is!" But she shrank back nervously into the bed. "You see—I—" "Well?" He felt the fluttering pulse again. "Tell me, little one." "Was I—" Pause; then, with a burst, "Was I ’lirious last night?" "Now, now, you mustn’t get nervous—" Her face stopped him. He rubbed his chin and studied her perplexedly. He was trying to discover what it was that she wanted. "Was I?" She sat up, clung to the bed knob with one hand. "I—I _thought_ I was!" The expressive voice held a note of despairing doubt in the last words that helped him. "Well, you were very feverish and," he was feeling his way, "you certainly didn’t quite know what you were saying—um! Yes, you _were_ delirious!" he finished with sudden heartiness. There was no doubting now what it was she wanted. At his words she sank down on to the pillow with a sort of little croon of relief. "When a person’s ’lirious she might say—say _very_ foolish things—she might—_ask_ for things—she’d be ’shamed to if she _knew_—" He was sure of his way now. He pulled his chair closer, and his clever face softened. "I should think so, indeed. Why, now, there was a young lady I was attending,—she was quite grown-up, too,—and when she is well she’s a very sensible sort of girl, but she was delirious, and what do you think she kept crying out for? Why, an elephant—a real, live elephant!" Sheila Pat laughed. He took her hand into his. "Oh, yes, people say and do very queer things when they are delirious. I had a big boy once who wanted a doll, and another who wanted to start for Australia." He paused as he felt the hand in his give a little jerk. "Do persons—often want to—to go somewhere when they’re ’lirious?" "Very often. It’s one of the commonest wants, little one." Sheila Pat was smiling; she lay looking up at him, her face pale, tired, but very peaceful. "You’re going to be a good little girl, and keep very quiet, and take all your medicine—" "I—I’m just goin’ to be as good as—as snow-drops." "Why snowdrops?" She drew her brows together in thought. "I don’t know: snowdrops are just good through and through." He smiled. "I do think you’re such a nice doctor," Sheila Pat said earnestly. When Nell crept in a few minutes later, she was fast asleep. When she woke, she took her medicine without a murmur. "Is Denis home, Nell?" "I think he’s just come in. Yes, here he is." He entered with a beautiful bunch of parma violets.