As the days past, he gave up snowballing, and spent his time in the nursery with Dodie, who was not allowed out.
"I think the cold has struck her," said Nurse, as one day she altogether refused to eat her dinner. "I've a mind to send for Dr. Booth, the powders I've been giving her don't seem to be what she wants."
Geoffrey laid down his knife and fork, feeling a sudden disinclination for the mutton and dumplings before him.
"Do you think Dodie is going to be ill?" he asked anxiously.
"I hope not, my dear, but it ain't like her to turn away from her food, and she has a nasty little cough that don't get better. Anyways I'll ask Dr. Booth to look in, there can't be no harm in that. There, there my darling," she added, taking Dodie on to her knee, "don't cry, there's a pet."
Nurse looked down at Dodie's little face which was lying on her arm.
"I don't like the look of her," she murmured more to herself than to anyone else, "her eyes are too bright to be natural, and she's restless, poor little dear." Then louder she added, "Geoff, you might run down when you've finished your dinner and ask the doctor to be so good as to look in. You'd catch him before he starts out on his rounds if you're quick."
"Dr. Booth," he said,—looking up into the Doctor's face—
"will Dodie be well by the time Father comes home?"
Geoffrey, who had listened with a beating heart to all Nurse had said, sprang up at once, and not heeding Nurse's injunction to finish his dinner first, ran off at once for the Doctor, and returned again in an incredibly short time.