Seth did not venture to look up lest Mrs. Dean should see the joy in his eyes, for to his mind the good woman could do him no greater service than give the invalid an account of his desire to be useful in the household.
“Is Aunt Hannah burned very much?” he asked, as the nurse set about making herself a cup of tea.
“I allow it’ll be a full month before she gets around again. At first I was afraid she’d broken some bones; but Mrs. Stubbs declares it’s only a bad sprain. It seems that she had a headache, an’ came for the camphor bottle, when she slipped an’ fell against the table. The wonder to me is that this house wasn’t burned to the ground.”
Then Mrs. Dean questioned Seth as to himself, and his reasons for coming into the country in search of work; but the boy did not consider it necessary to give any more information than pleased him, although the good woman was most searching in her inquiries.
Then Gladys entered the kitchen, and the two children made preparations for breakfast, after Seth had brought to an end his self-imposed task of washing the floor.
Mr. Dean came over to milk White-Face, and Seth insisted that he be allowed to try his hand at the work, claiming that if Aunt Hannah was to be a helpless invalid during a full month, as Mrs. Dean had predicted, it was absolutely necessary he be able to care for the cow.
The old adage that “a willing pupil is an apt one” was verified in this case, for the lad succeeded so well in his efforts that Mr. Dean declared it would not be necessary for him to come to the Morse farm again, so far as caring for the cow was concerned.
Very proud was Seth when he brought the pail of foaming milk into the kitchen with the announcement that he had done nearly all the work, and Gladys ran to tell Aunt Hannah what she considered exceedingly good news.
During the next two days either Mrs. Dean or Mrs. Stubbs ruled over the Morse household by virtue of their supposed rights as nurses, and in all this time Seth had not been allowed to see the invalid.
Gladys visited the foreroom from time to time, reporting that Aunt Hannah was “doing as well as could be expected,” and Seth had reason to believe the little woman’s suffering would now abate unless some unexpected change in her condition prevented.