Then she went round the table to old Lauderdale again, listened attentively to his breathing and felt his pulse.
“Are you asleep, Mr. Lauderdale?” she asked, almost in a whisper.
The jaw moved, and he spoke some unintelligible words.
“I can’t hear what you say,” said Mrs. Deems, bending down anxiously.
He cleared his throat, coughed a little and spoke louder.
“Take care of Katharine,” he said, still without opening his eyes.
“Don’t worry about me, uncle Robert,” said Katharine, looking at him with anxiety.
Both she and Ralston turned enquiring glances to Mrs. Deems. She merely shook her head sadly and said nothing. Ralston beckoned to her to come and speak with him. She poured out another dose of the old man’s stimulant and set it to his lips. He swallowed it rather eagerly and without difficulty. Then she glanced at Ralston and left the room. A moment later he followed her, and found her waiting for him on the other side of the curtain.
“You’re very anxious, aren’t you, Mrs. Deems?” he enquired, in a whisper.
“Well,” she answered, “I suppose I am. I guess he’s had a strain with this trouble. I do wish the doctor’d come, though. It’s a long while since they went for him.”