“It was poor thanks for what you did for Gwenny,” said Miss Jamieson, finding that someone had to answer.
“I was glad to do it,” said the Doctor, “after you had led the way. It is an honor to work with the Girl Scouts. When you are twice as old, yes, three times as old as you are now, you will realize what a wonderful work you are doing in the world. I come across evidences of it every day. This Gwenny, for instance. Did you see the way she went down that long aisle tonight? Why, that girl is going to be well, perfectly well! Think of the years of pain and misery you have saved her, the agonizing nights and the untimely death. Whose plan was it, anyway?”
“Rosanna Horton’s,” said half a dozen voices.
Rosanna flushed. “No, don’t say that!” she objected. “It is just as the doctor says. If I thought of it it was because I am a Scout. Call it the Girl Scouts’ Plan.”
“Yours or theirs, Miss Rosanna; it was a divine thought and should make you all happy. You have given the three greatest boons to a fellow creature: life, health, and happiness, and all because your splendid order teaches you to watch for just such opportunities. Now I will give you an opportunity to do a good deed tonight,” and he laughed the jolliest laugh. “There are a couple of very wise gentlemen here tonight, who would like to talk to me, and they would want to talk about operations and anesthetics and all those things that I left locked up in my office at home. But I can’t tell them that, so I wish you could just look after me for the next hour, and sort of beau me around, you know, and if you see any bald heads or spectacles bearing down on us, just close in and protect me.”
“Oh, we will!” chorused the girls, greatly pleased.
So the great Dr. Branshaw, quite the greatest and most eminent man present, passed happily from room to room surrounded and tagged by a chatting, smiling throng of uniformed girls.
When a cheering looking line of waiters appeared with plates and napkins, the great man and his little court settled in a cozy nook and proceeded to fly in the face of all the best health experts. And to see the Doctor shamelessly send for more bouillon, and consume sandwiches, and sliced turkey, and candied sweet potato and salad, and oh, dear, all sorts of things, was enough to make any Scout hungry, and they just feasted and feasted.
Although the doctor refused to talk to the wise men, he did talk to the girls, getting on the subject dearest to him, as all professional men will, and telling them many an amusing story and pathetic incident.
Finally he rose. “I must go, girls,” he said. “I said good-bye to Mrs. Horton when I came in, so I could just slip out a little side door there is here.”