It seemed incredible that that queen among goddesses should be what she was!
CHAPTER XIX
THE INVALID TAKES THE AIR
When O'Hara, the next morning, went through the formality of looking in upon his patient, and after a taciturn nod was about to go away again, Ste. Marie called him back. He said—
"Would you mind waiting a moment?" and the Irishman halted inside the door.
"I made an experiment yesterday," said Ste. Marie, "and I find that, after a poor fashion, I can walk—that is to say, I can drag myself about a little, without any great pain, if I don't bend the left leg."
O'Hara returned to the bed and made a silent examination of the bullet wound which, it was plain to see, was doing very well indeed.
"You'll be all right in a few days," said he, "but you'll be lame for a week yet—maybe two. As a matter of fact, I've known men to march half a day with a hole in the leg worse than yours, though it probably was not quite pleasant."
"I'm afraid I couldn't march very far," said Ste. Marie, "but I can hobble a bit. The point is, I'm going mad from confinement in this room. Do you think I might be allowed to stagger about the garden for an hour, or sit there under one of the trees? I don't like to ask favours, but—so far as I can see it could do no harm. I couldn't possibly escape, you see. I couldn't climb a fifteen foot wall even if I had two good legs: as it is, with a leg and a half, I couldn't climb anything."
The Irishman looked at him sharply, and was silent for a time as if considering. But at last he said—