“Do you think I ought to introduce him to the doctor?” asked Miss Marilla of Mary in an undertone at the head of the stairs, while the doctor was divesting himself of his big fur overcoat. She had a drawn anxious look like one about to be found out in a crime.
“He doesn’t look to me as if he were able to acknowledge the introduction,” said Mary with a glance in at the spare bed, where the young man lay sleeping heavily and breathing noisily.
“But—ought I to tell him his name?”
“That’s all right, Auntie Rill,” said Mary easily; “I told him his name was Gage when I phoned, and said he was in the same division with your nephew. It isn’t necessary for you to say anything about it.”
Miss Marilla paused, and eyed Mary strangely with a frightened, appealing look, and then with growing relief. So Mary knew! She sighed, and turned back to the sick-room with a comforted expression growing round her mouth.
But the comforted expression changed once more to anxiety, and self was forgotten utterly when Miss Marilla began to watch the doctor’s face as the examination progressed.
“What has this young man been doing?” he growled, rising from a position on his knees where he had been listening to the soldier’s breathing with an ever-increasing frown. Miss Marilla looked at Mary quite frightened, and Mary stepped into the breach.
“He had a heavy cold when he came here, and Miss Chadwick nursed him, and he was doing nicely; but he ran away this morning. He had some business to attend to, and slipped away before anybody could stop him. He got very much chilled, I think.”
“I should say he did!” ejaculated the doctor. “Young fool! I suppose he thought he could stand anything because he went through the war. Well, he’ll get his now. He’s in for pneumonia. I’m sorry, Miss Chadwick, but I’m afraid you’ve got a bad case on your hands. Would you like to have me phone for an ambulance and get him to the hospital? I think it can be done at once with a minimum of risk.”
“Oh, no, no!” said Miss Marilla, clasping one white hand and then the other nervously. “I couldn’t think of that—at least, not unless you think it’s necessary—not unless you think it’s a risk to stay here. You see he’s my—that is, he’s almost—like—my own nephew.” She lifted appealing eyes.