He endeavored to do as she bade him; but sleep would not come,—only the picture of that woman, her hands upon her hips. Her words beat through his brain! They would not stop! He was still wide awake when the nurse came softly in. She opened the window a little wider and put up a screen to shield him from the wind, for the night was chilly. She laid her cool hand on his forehead, and asked if he felt lonely.
“Oh, no!” he answered.
She bent over and kissed him, and then went out.
The speaking-tube in the hall was beyond his sight. Otherwise he would have seen Mrs. Fairfax go there and push the bell button, and if he had been near enough he would have heard her say:—
“Is Polly there? May she come up for a little while, please?”
When Polly reached the head of the stairs the nurse was waiting for her.
“Doodles seems troubled about something. His pulse is away up, and he looks as if he would never go to sleep. Find out what it is, if you can, and tell him there is nothing for him to be afraid of. Perhaps he is homesick; but you will do better than I. He is not acquainted with me.”
Doodles smiled a welcome when Polly turned on the light.
“The flower couldn’t keep away the dark, could it?” she laughed.
The boy returned a plaintive little no.