"Be sensible," she commanded. "Go at once now and get to bed. Remember, you're my patient and must obey orders."
She shook her finger at him and tried to frown with portentous severity. But the dancing eyes and mutinous dimple belied the frown.
"If you're my nurse, I'm going to be sick for a long time," he warned her.
He tried to grasp the menacing finger, but she eluded him and playfully drove him out of the room.
The sun was shining brightly through the porthole of his room when he awoke the next morning, and on reaching for his watch he found that he had waked later than usual. He dressed himself quickly. He felt a little light-headed from the effect of his wound, but nothing more.
There was an exclamation of alarm from Tyke and the captain when they saw his bandaged head.
"Only a cut," said Allen lightly. And he briefly narrated the details of his misadventure.
"Lucky it was no worse," commented Tyke.
"Wasn't there any one near by at that time?" asked the captain.
"Why——" began Drew, and stopped. To say that Parmalee had been near him would have been an indictment of the former for his seeming heartlessness. He did not want to take advantage of his absent rival.