‘Is yours in the right place?’ persisted Barbara.
‘I–I hope so,’ said the doctor, struggling with a grim smile.
‘Same place as mine?’ continued Barbara, eagerly.
Miss Finlayson put out her hand to stop her; but Babs did not see. The doctor saw, and did not take any notice.
‘I imagine it is in the same place,’ he said feebly.
‘But how do you know, unless some one else finds it for you?’ inquired Babs. ‘You can’t listen to your own heart through that funny thing, can you?’
‘N–no, some one else has to find it,’ admitted the doctor, and she supposed he had remembered something that made him feel shy, for he coloured furiously and rose to his feet rather hurriedly.
Babs stood gazing up at him attentively, while he exchanged parting words with Miss Finlayson. ‘It’s an awful pity you didn’t go to see Kit when he was ill,’ she remarked, directly there was an opportunity. ‘Kit’s doctor was a beast.’
The long oval face turned slightly red again; and Miss Finlayson said something very quickly about the wet evening.
‘Yes,’ replied the doctor, stammering a little; ‘I am sorry the evening is so late,–so wet, I mean, and that I am so late in calling–positively the first minute I’ve had to-day,–extremely busy this time of year––’