The mother and daughter were continuing their talk about Walter's letter.
"Can Mr. Bauer get well out there? Walter did not say very clearly?"
Helen asked.
"Many cases like this do recover," said Esther. "But he ought to go at once. If he is having severe hemorrhages that will be his only hope."
Helen was silent for some moments.
"How much did Walter say it would cost to keep him out there a year?"
"He said three hundred dollars."
"It seems like a very small sum, doesn't it?"
"It certainly does. But you remember in some of Mr. Masters's letters to your father about the mission expenses at Tolchaco how ridiculous the amounts seemed to us? You remember one year the entire mission force including seven persons lived on less than fifteen dollars a month for each? I suppose Walter had something like that in mind. And you remember how often in his letters Walter has spoken of Bauer's horror of the luxurious habits of one of the students at Burrton as if it were a great wrong?"
"It was Van Shaw," said Helen with a short laugh. "Walter spoke last Christmas about the solid silver dog collars Mr. Van Shaw purchased for his kennel. Fancy Mr. Bauer buying solid silver dog collars! Fancy him even buying a dog!"
"Unless it was to prevent someone from abusing it. I never met a young man with such a kind heart as Bauer."