She watched at the window until she saw Dr. Ballard's buggy approaching. Then she opened the door and met him.
“Your little visitor do you say?” asked the young doctor as he greeted her and entered. “What mischief has she been up to so soon?”
“Oh, the usual sort,” returned Mrs. Forbes, and recounted her grievances. “She's the oddest child in the world,” she finished, “and her last freak is that she doesn't want to have a doctor.”
“Dear me, what heresy!” The young man smiled. “Which room, Mrs. Forbes?”
“Please go into the library first, Dr. Ballard. Mr. Evringham is waiting to see you.”
The broker was sitting before his desk as the doctor entered, and he turned with a brief greeting.
“I'm glad you've come, Ballard. I'm very much troubled about the child. Her father and mother abroad you understand, and I feel the responsibility. She seems very flighty, quite wild in her talk at moments. I wished to warn you that one of her feverish ideas is that she doesn't want a doctor. You will have to use some tact.”
The physician's face lost its careless smile. “Delirious, you say?”
“Yes, go right up, Guy. I'll wait for you here. It's so sudden. She was quite well, to all appearances, yesterday.”
“Children are sensitive little mortals,” remarked Dr. Ballard, and then Mrs. Forbes ushered him up to the white room. He asked her to remain within call, and entered alone.