“By Jove!� he cried, sitting up suddenly. “I’d clean forgotten them!�
“You were fooling me!� she exclaimed, as she started to rise.
With a groan he fell back. The crimson, oozing from his wound, ran down across his temple, and in another moment she was again checking the flow with her handkerchief. His eyes were closed, and she imagined he had fainted.
“Oh, dear!� She seemed distraught. “I don’t know what to do! I’ve got to get help, but if I leave you, you may bleed to death.�
“Don’t let me bleed to death,â€� he begged faintly. “Don’t leave me—Bessie. You mustn’t leave me—as long as I live.â€�
It seemed a great effort for him to lift his eyelids, but he looked at her again, and the appeal in his eyes filled her with a feeling of desperation.
“You must have a doctor.�
“You’re the only doctor I want. You’re the only doctor who can cure me. If you throw up the case and turn me over to a common pill slinger, I’ll never get over it.�
“But I’ve simply got to get help for you somehow. I’ll hurry.�
“I can’t let you go. I’m an awful coward, you know, and——â€�