“And mind you, don’t give her any more physic, ’out calling me fust,” said mammy, as she followed her daughter up to the little room above the kitchen.
Pina dismissed Leo to the stable loft, fastened up the house, raked out the kitchen fire, and then returned to her mistress’s chamber.
The poor little lady was in a troubled sleep, broken by fitful sighs and sobs, and muttered words of which “Alick” was the only one to be distinctly heard.
Pina just loosened her own clothes and sat down in the lounging chair by the side of the bed to watch or sleep, as the case might be. She slept, of course; and her sleep was so deep that she did not know her, mistress awoke and arose a little after midnight and paced the floor, weeping and wringing her hands, until daylight, when she fell exhausted upon the bed and dropped into a short and fitful slumber, disturbed with gasps and starts.
By sunrise Pina opened her own eyes, and seeing her mistress lying very much as she had left her when she fell asleep, the girl arose and replenished the fire and went down into the kitchen.
Here she found “mammy” making herself at home and in full blast before the range getting the breakfast.
“Well, and when am I to see the madam, I’d like to know?” inquired Aunt Hector.
“Soon’s ever she wakes, mammy; which you know you couldn’t see her last night, ’pon account of you being tired and she sleepy.”
“How is she this morning?”
“Sleeping like an angel, which so she’s been a doing of all night.”