Lieutenant Martin colored unexpectedly.
“I call that hitting below the belt and when a man is down, Miss Davis, and I thought you were a good sport.”
Nona held up both her slender hands bare of any rings.
“Hands up, I apologize.” Then she came and leaned over the bed.
“But you are better, or at least you do not seem to be suffering from anything except personal grievances. Is there anything I can do for you before dinner?”
“Sit down and talk to me, if you will.”
Without discussion Nona drew up a low chair and sat down.
In spite of the fact that he had been generally acknowledged as an extremely disagreeable and ungrateful patient, Nona had really come to like Lieutenant Jack Martin rather unusually well. Of course this was partly due to the fact that however slight their acquaintance in the past, at least this and the knowledge of common friends was a bond between them. Besides, Lieutenant Martin’s bad tempers were merely those of an undisciplined boy, and this was amusing in view of the fact that he was so stern a disciplinarian both with himself and with the men in camp. But Nona had not taken three years of experience in nursing to find out how different a man may be in illness and in health.
The young man’s expression had changed again in the last moment, however.
“I suppose I am a pretty bad sort,” he said quietly, “or at least I give people that impression, which amounts to the same thing. This accident, for instance, would never have happened if I had not a genius for making enemies. But I can’t guess what fellow hates me sufficiently to wish to get rid of me at least temporarily; and I don’t want to find out. I wish I could persuade our Colonel and Kelley and some of the other men just to let the whole business drop. I would rather have gone out altogether than have a scandal in our unit.”