Miss Douglass was evidently much confused.
Her meeting with Lloyd had apparently been unexpected. She halted upon the stairs in great embarrassment, stammering:
"No—no, I'm on call. I—I was called out of my turn—specially called—that was it."
"Were you?" demanded Lloyd sharply, for the other nurse was disturbed to an extraordinary degree.
"Well, then; no, I wasn't, but the superintendent—Miss Bergyn—she thought—she advised—you had better see her."
"I will see her," declared Lloyd, "but don't you go till I find out why I was skipped."
Lloyd hurried at once to Miss Bergyn's room, indignant at this slight. Surely, after what had happened, she was entitled to more consideration than this. Of all the staff in the house she should have been the one to be preferred.
Miss Bergyn rose at Lloyd's sudden entrance into her room, and to her question responded:
"It was only because I wanted to spare you further trouble and—and embarrassment, Lloyd, that I told Miss Douglass to take your place. This call is from Medford. Dr. Pitts was here himself this morning, and he thought as I did."
"Thought what? I don't understand."