“Don’t forget, Miss Barton, to let my mother know. May I have your address?”
“Thank you, Mr. Van Dusen, there is no necessity for that. Good afternoon, madam.”
Mother and son had no sooner left than the nurse came in bringing the physician in charge. Dr. Loomis relieved the girl’s mind by telling her that her Miss Fisher was in no danger. She would remain for the present in the ward until she had recovered sufficiently from the shock. No bones had been broken, but the bruise on the head was rather severe. Every care would be given her friend. “Don’t be anxious, my dear young lady,” he said, “we shall get her quite well again. Good-bye!”
The nurse informed Helène that she could visit her friend every day and that Mrs. Van Dusen, who was a patroness of the hospital, had left word that the patient should be most carefully attended to. Helène thanked the woman.
From the hospital she hurried to Madame Lucile’s home and was greatly relieved that the lady took the news as she did. Madame promised to look after everything. Helène, for the first time since she had been in America, went home alone.
And now began the trying and anxious time. Every day Helène called at the hospital, but was not permitted access to the sick-room. Margaret had an attack of brain fever and could recognize no one. She would leave for Madame Lucile’s in tears. There she worked for two to drown her anxiety. But the lonely evenings and tearful nights followed and they had to be borne by herself alone.
Mrs. Van Dusen had called on Madame Lucile and had offered to defray the expenses; but Helène firmly refused to accept the offer. Margaret and she could afford to pay them themselves.
Whenever Helène visited the hospital, she would find Mr. Van Dusen waiting, ready with a courteous request to be of service, and repeated the offer his mother had made to Madame Lucile. But Helène declined both. On one occasion he asked permission to call on Miss Barton. This she also declined. When Margaret recovered from the fever, he sent her flowers almost daily. Twice Helène received a large box of beautiful lilies at the boarding-house with his card. She wrote him a polite note of thanks in which she told him that she would take the flowers to Margaret.
At the end of three weeks, Margaret was declared to be out of all danger. Her wounds had healed and the bandages had been removed. On the left temple showed a livid scar, but the nurse assured Helène that this would disappear in time. In a week Margaret would be allowed to go home; but the doctor advised a rest at the seashore or in the mountains before returning to work.
Mrs. Van Dusen claimed the right to provide for this rest, at least, and begged Margaret to accept the hospitality of her country place in the Kittatinnies, which was only an hour’s ride from New York, and where the mountain air was cool and invigorating. “I have been so unhappy, Miss Fisher,” she said, “about the accident, and you’ve let me do nothing.”