"Of course it does," she responded.
But when I asked her in an undertone as we went upstairs how her head was, she answered, "Simply raging!"
I tried to persuade her to lie down, but she insisted on preparing for dinner as usual. But, though she sat down with the rest, she could eat nothing, and was soon obliged to leave the table.
Aunt Patty went to her a little later, saw her to bed, and did what she could for her. Mr. Dicks was sorely perturbed by the indisposition of his darling. He hung over her, suggesting all kinds of possible and impossible remedies, till Paulina peremptorily ordered him to go away, and leave her in peace, whereupon he retired and despatched a note to the doctor, who had attended him when he was ill begging him to come to "Gay Bowers" as soon as possible on the following day. After a while Paulina seemed inclined to sleep, and aunt and I went to bed, hoping that her ailment would prove only temporary. Her father wished that some one should sit up with her, but she would not hear of it, and, as usual, obtained her own way.
I don't know what it was that made me awake about two hours later, but in the stillness of the night I was aware of movements in the adjoining room. Fearing that Paulina was worse, I rose, slipped on my dressing gown, and went into the next room. A night-light was burning there, and by its dim rays I saw Paulina standing by the washstand, bathing her head with cold water. She said the pain she had in it was terrible. I touched her forehead; it was burning hot, and so were her hands, yet every now and then she shivered. I knew enough of illness to be sure that this meant fever of some kind or other.
"If only I had some ice!" she moaned.
With some difficulty I persuaded her to lie down again. I placed wet bandages on her forehead, and kept changing them as they grew warm.
"Oh, Nan, I feel so ill—don't leave me!" she said more than once, and I promised that I would stay with her. When, after a while, she grew drowsy, I stole into my room and brought away my blankets, in which I rolled myself up on Paulina's sofa, for the night was growing chill, as it generally does towards dawn. But I did not lie there long, for Paulina was soon tossing to and fro and moaning again.
As the grey light of early morning was creeping into the room she suddenly sat up in bed, her fevered face looking haggard and distraught, and exclaimed in a tone of desperate conviction:
"Oh, Nan, I know what this means. I guess I've got smallpox."