"I beg your pardon," I said, dropping my hold. "I think you did not understand, Mrs. Webbe, that as nurse I cannot have my patient excited."
She looked at me in a blaze of anger. I have never seen a woman so carried away by rage, and it is frightful. Yet she seemed to be making an effort to control herself. I was anxious to help her if I could, so I forced a smile, although I am afraid it was not a very warm one, and I assumed as conciliatory a manner as I could muster.
"You must think I was rather abrupt," I said, "but I did not mean to be. I couldn't explain to you in the kitchen, the partition is so thin. You see she's in the room that opens out of it."
Mrs. Webbe softened somewhat.
"It is very noble of you to be here," she said in a new tone, and one which I must confess did not to me have a genuine ring; "it's splendid of you, but what's the use of it? What affair of yours is it, anyway?"
I was tempted to serve her up a quotation about a certain man who went down to Jericho and fell among thieves, but I resisted.
"I could come, Mrs. Webbe, and apparently nobody else could."
"They wouldn't," she rejoined frankly. "Don't you see everybody else knew it was a case to be let alone?"
I asked her why.
"Everybody felt as if it was," responded she quickly. "I hope you don't set up to be wiser than everybody else put together."