The children were dismissed at once and took to their homes excited and garbled reports of the occurrence.
Tess did not go home at once. She saw them finally take Miss Pepperill, now exhausted and moaning, out to a taxi-cab and drive away with her to the Women’s and Children’s Hospital, where Mrs. Eland was.
But the damage was done. Poor Miss Pepperill’s mind was, for the time, quite out of her control. The next day she had to be removed to the state hospital for the insane because she disturbed the other patients under her sister’s care.
That ended, of course, Miss Pepperill’s career as a public school teacher. With a record of having been at the insane hospital, she could hope never again to preside over a class of children in the public school. Her occupation and manner of livelihood were taken from her.
“It is a terrible, terrible thing,” Ruth said at dinner, the day Miss Pepperill was taken to the state hospital.
Ruth had been with Tess to call on Mrs. Eland, and the little gray lady had told them all about it.
“I am awfully sorry for my Mrs. Eland, too,” Tess said. “I am sure she could have cared for Miss Pepperill if they’d let her stay.”
“Don’t worry, honey,” Agnes said quickly. “They’ll soon let Miss Pepperill come back.”
“But the harm is done,” Ruth rejoined gravely. “Just as Dr. Forsyth said, she ought to take a long, long rest.”
“If they were only rich,” sighed Agnes.