"Good-by, Adah," I said, smiling. "Don't look so concerned; you haven't done me a bit of harm. Your face was as bright and welcome as the sunshine."
"If it hadn't been for thee—" she began.
Mrs. Yocomb raised a warning finger, and the girl stole away.
"Can—can I not see Miss Warren this morning?" I asked hesitatingly.
"Thee must sleep first."
The medicine she gave evidently contained a sedative, or else sleep was the remedy that Nature instinctively grasped, for it gave back part of the strength that I had lost.
When I awoke again I felt wonderfully the better for a long rest that had not been broken, but made more beneficial from the fact that I was slightly roused from time to time to take stimulants and nourishment. The heat and glare of the summer day had passed. This I could perceive even through the half-closed window-blinds. At first I thought myself alone, but soon saw that Reuben was seated in the furthest corner, quietly carving on some woodwork that interested his boyish fancy. His round, fresh face was like a tonic.
"Well, old fellow," I laughed, "so you are playing nurse?"
"Is thee awake for good, Richard Morton?" he asked, springing up.
"I hope so."