She was growing worse very rapidly, and frightened at last at the wildness of her eyes, and her constant ravings, Esther went down to Morris, and bade him come quickly to Mrs. Cameron.
“She is taken out of her head, and talks so queer and raving.”
Morris had expected this, but he was not prepared to find the fever so high, or the symptoms so alarming.
“Shall I send for Mrs. Cameron and another doctor, please?” Esther asked.
Morris had faith in himself, and he would rather no other hand should minister to Katy; but he knew he could not stay there long, for there were those at home who needed his services. Added to this, her family physician might know her constitution, now, better than he knew it, and so he answered that it would be well to send for both the doctor and Mrs. Cameron.
It was just daylight when Mrs. Cameron arrived, questioning Esther closely, and appearing much surprised when she heard of Dr. Grant’s presence in the house. That he came by chance, she never doubted, and as Esther merely answered the questions put directly to her, Mrs. Cameron had no suspicion of the telegram.
“I am glad he happened here at this time,” she said. “I have the utmost confidence in his skill. Still it may be well for Dr. Craig to see her. I think that is his ring.”
The city and country physicians agreed exactly with regard to Katy’s illness, or rather the city physician bowed in acquiescence when Morris said to him that the fever raging so high had, perhaps, been induced by natural causes, but was greatly aggravated by some sudden shock to the nervous system. This was before Mrs. Cameron came up, but it was repeated in her presence by Dr. Craig, who thus left the impression that the idea had originated with himself, rather than with Dr. Grant, as perhaps he thought it had. He was at first inclined to patronize the country doctor, but soon found that he had reckoned without his host. Morris knew more of Katy, and quite as much of medicine as he did himself, and when Mrs. Cameron begged him to stay longer, he answered that her son’s wife was as safe in his brother physician’s hands as she could be in his.
Mrs. Cameron was very glad that Dr. Grant was there, she said. It was surely Providence who sent him to New York on that particular day, and Morris shivered as he wondered if it were wrong not to explain the whole to her.
“Perhaps it is best she should not know of the telegram,” he thought, and merely bowing to her remarks, he turned to Katy, who was growing very restless and moaning as if in pain.