“Is your jaw worse than your wrist?” he asked, stroking his own right jaw to show what he meant.
Nell’s eyes closed twice; but before the doctor could frame another question, the door was pushed open, and Mrs. Trip was thrust hurriedly into the office.
CHAPTER XX
Fairly Caught
SOME of the miners, in prospecting round the depot, had ventured to try the door of Joey Trip’s house, and had found to their surprise that it was unfastened and yielded to the touch.
Pushing it cautiously open, two of them entered, to be greeted by a tremulous old voice from the darkness, “Is that you, Miss Hamblyn? And has Joey come home yet?”
“No, mother, it ain’t Miss Hamblyn; she has been and got herself rather bashed up, and doctor is looking after her a bit,” said the man who had entered first, and who spoke in a deep, big voice.
“I’m rather deaf,” faltered the feeble tones out of the darkness, with such unmistakable terror in them now, that the men were concerned to know how best they could manage to let the poor old woman understand that their intentions were friendly.
One of them struck a match, and, seeing by the light of it that a lamp stood on the uncleared supper-table, proceeded to light it.
When this was done, Mrs. Trip was discovered to be sitting crouched into the remotest corner of the room, a shrinking, frightened creature whom anyone might have pitied.