And at that moment Miss Anne herself appeared, coming fast along the road. She had been kept much longer than she had expected with the baby, and on finding Mildred's scribbled note she had hurried off with all speed to follow the children, very much displeased.
Think what a fright it gave her now to see her sister, soaking wet and white as paper, and hardly able to stagger along, and Mildred carrying that poor little limp figure.
But she took in the whole at once, and wasted no time in questions.
"Mildred, you must take my sister home, and tell Mrs. Prue to see to her," she said. "I shall go straight to Dr. Evans."
She took Ivy from Mildred as she spoke, and though she was so slight and far from strong, an unnatural power seemed to come to her, for she ran almost the whole way from the bridge to the doctor's house, which was nearer than her own home, with that heavy dead weight of the senseless child in her arms.
Happily she found both the doctor and his wife indoors, and not a moment was lost. Everything was instantly done that could be done to save the little life; and in less than half-an-hour, they knew that Ivy was living, though a much longer time passed before she opened her eyes, and longer still before she seemed to know anybody.
Even then she could not be spoken of as out of danger, for the shock had been severe, and the greatest possible care had to be taken. Miss Anne never left her for hours. And the doctor only went away, after a while, to see how Miss Storey was getting on. The two houses being near, he could easily go to and fro.
[CHAPTER XI]
Consequences
NOBODY had time to think about Hecla. Mildred took her home, and went off to change her own wet clothes; and for the first time in her life, Hecla was left to her own devices.