She had also induced Eugenia to purchase a piano, insisting that nothing would give greater and more innocent pleasure to the American soldiers in their vicinity.
So, Barbara could scarcely be accused of idleness, even if she had altered the nature of her Red Cross duties. Nor was there a girl in the hospital excepting Nona Davis, perhaps, who did not, in a small measure, share in Barbara’s plans.
Eugenia thought of this fact one day, as she observed Nona going through the hall on her way to Lieutenant Martin’s room.
Madame Castaigne would not have felt it loyalty to discuss the matter with herself, but in a way Nona Davis was her present favorite among the original group of Red Cross girls. She was devoted to Mildred Thornton and had seen more of her than of Nona or Barbara. But Mildred was undemonstrative, and her deep affections were given to her own family and to the Russian General to whom she had become engaged during her fine work as a war nurse in Russia.
At one time Eugenia may have considered that she was especially attached to Barbara. But although she was not supposed to have noticed, she, too, had seen that Barbara Thornton had changed since her marriage and not for the better. Yet there must be some hidden reason for Barbara’s present restlessness. Eugenia hoped that her work outside the hospital might be an outlet and that she would buckle down to more serious work later, else her coming abroad for the Red Cross was a decided mistake.
But now Eugenia decided that Nona looked a little tired and wondered if more work was being put upon her than the other nurses. She did not wish this. Lieutenant Martin had been a trying patient, not because he had been so ill, but because his nerves had been so overstrained by the severe demands he made upon himself in camp.
However, he was growing better and Eugenia had several times thought of removing Nona from the case. Yet Lieutenant Martin had begged so hard, had promised such impossible improvement and reformation that she had been turned aside.
Moreover, Eugenia liked the young officer with his stern sense of duty, his strong will and high temper. With these traits of character there were other far more appealing ones, and he was one of the finest types of a soldier. Besides, Eugenia was amused by Nona’s present softening influence upon him. Eugenia knew she could reduce him to whatever terms she desired by threatening to change his nurse.
So she said nothing to Nona at the moment of seeing her in the hall, only smiled at her in a fashion which had the most surprising influence upon the people working under her. Eugenia’s approval seemed to make all the cogs in the wheel run smoother.
Madame Castaigne was on her way to a small room which was reserved as a kind of reception room at the front of the hospital. Someone had sent up a card asking to see her and she always saw people when this did not interfere with her work.