The woman—who, I found, was actually privy to the whole affair—Tom's doing, no doubt—began to give her opinion, as is the way of those nurses. "If you'll take my advice," said she, "you'll let him see her now, and sleep afterwards. It'll tire him less than fretting for her."
"And if you will be so good as to mind your own business," I replied, quietly but firmly, "I shall be infinitely obliged to you."
I had not been out of the room five minutes before Tom came to seek me, looking quite hoity-toity, as if he thought himself aboard ship again, with sailors.
"Now then, Polly," he said, "I'm not going to have any more nonsense about this. The boy is too weak to be worried. I am going to fetch Emily."
"Since when," I asked, "has it been your habit to call her Emily?"
He stared, and looked confused. "I suppose," he said, "I've caught it from Harry."
"Talking with him so much about her, when it was so necessary to keep him calm? And to that nurse woman, behind my back—as if the private concerns of our family were any concern of servants! Tom, I didn't think you would ever be disloyal to me."
"I don't think I ever have been, Polly. What's more, I don't think you would ever imagine such a thing in cool blood. Come, you are not going to spoil this happy day for us all, are you? The boy has been given back to us by a miracle——"
That was enough. I flung myself into his arms.
"Forgive me! Forgive me!" I cried. "I know it is wicked of me. But you don't know how I feel it, Tom!"