Peer was away for over a week, sleeping on board with the rest. When he came back, he hurried home, suddenly thinking of Louise and her sore throat. He found the job-master greasing the wheels of a carriage, while his wife leaned out of a window scolding at him. “Your sister,” repeated the carter, turning round his face with its great red lump of nose—“she’s gone to hospital—diphtheria hospital—she has. Doctor was here over a week ago and took her off. They’ve been here since poking round and asking who she was and where she belonged—well, we didn’t know. And asking where you were, too—and we didn’t know either. She was real bad, if you ask me—”
Peer hastened off. It was a hot day, and the air was close and heavy. On he went—all down the whole length of Sea Street, through the fishermen’s quarter, and a good way further out round the bay. And then he saw a cart coming towards him, an ordinary work-cart, with a coffin on it. The driver sat on the cart, and another man walked behind, hat in hand. Peer ran on, and at last came in sight of the long yellow building at the far end of the bay. He remembered all the horrible stories he had heard about the treatment of diphtheria patients—how their throats had to be cut open to give them air, or something burned out of them with red-hot irons—oh! When at last he had reached the high fence and rung the bell, he stood breathless and dripping with sweat, leaning against the gate.
There was a sound of steps within, a key was turned, and a porter with a red moustache and freckles about his hard blue eyes thrust out his head.
“What d’you want to go ringing like that for?”
“Froken Hagen—Louise Hagen—is she better? How—how is she?”
“Lou—Louise Hagen? A girl called Louise Hagen? Is it her you’ve come to ask about?”
“Yes. She’s my sister. Tell me—or—let me in to see her.”
“Wait a bit. You don’t mean a girl that was brought in here about a week ago?”
“Yes, yes—but let me in.”
“We’ve had no end of bother and trouble about that girl, trying to find out where she came from, and if she had people here. But, of course, this weather, we couldn’t possibly keep her any longer. Didn’t you meet a coffin on a cart as you came along?”