"Is this your little girl?" she asked her companion.
"Yes, my only child."
"Is she,—is she quite well?"
The woman hesitated for a moment.
"She has been sick, but she's almost well," she replied.
"What was the matter with her?" asked Mrs. Redmond, pleasantly.
"She has had scarlet fever, but—"
"Girls," said Mrs. Redmond, "have your bags brought from your rooms."
Then she turned to the landlady.
"I can understand now why you can offer us a choice of so many rooms; the fever, I suppose, drove your guests away. I'm sorry, but we, too, must look farther."