"Have yer come to stay?" queried Maggie anxiously.
"For the present," she nodded.
A big, squealing, "O-o-h!" of joy rang through the ward, while Polly silently clung to one hand, as if she would never let it go.
"What's all this rumpus about?" came growlingly from the entrance; and the children turned to see Dr. Dudley surveying them, his eyes a-twinkle with fun.
Polly giggled. The rest looked a bit disconcerted.
"Accept my congratulations," he said, extending his hand to the nurse.
Polly reluctantly relinquished her hold of Muss Lucy, that the physician's greeting might be properly responded to, while the young lady blushed with pleasure.
"I'm jealous," the Doctor went on, looking around on the little group. "You never make such a fuss over me when I come."
"Do you want us to?" ventured Cornelius.
The Doctor laughed. "Well," he responded, "I'll excuse you from giving me such an ovation every day. How is that back of yours, Cornelius?" And he proceeded on his accustomed rounds.