“I heard that a man who must surely, from his name, be your own father, was up at the inn, very low with smallpox, and that every one but his valet had deserted the poor man, and he was likely to die without doctor or nurse, so I thought it was my plain duty to come and nurse him.
“There is no danger for me, you know, because I have had the disease, and I also know how to treat it, so do not worry over me, but go and get vaccinated as soon as you can and try and get some good doctor to come and see the patient.
“Dearest, try to rest easy. You can hear from me every day this way. I will wave a white flag from the window every day at noon. That will mean all is going on right. Be patient, I will do all I can for the dad you love so well.
“Berenice.”
CHAPTER XXX.
A GENEROUS OFFER.
Poor Charley, returning next day from London, depressed and discouraged at not seeing his father, was dazed to find his sweet wife gone, and to get her letter of explanation.
But after the first shock of surprise, and trouble, his warm heart thrilled with joy and pride at her noble deed.
“Father cannot help but forgive us now if she should save his life, dear girl, for when once he knows her how could he resist her grace and beauty?” he said, over and over, to himself hopefully, for the yearning for reunion with his kindred was strong within him.
“Rosalind is at the bottom of it all. If I could but break her influence, all might be well again; but she is posing as injured innocence and beauty, and hardening their hearts against me for her sake,” he thought, with impatient resentment. Then he put it from him to write a long letter to Berry—a real love letter, full of praise and tenderness, which he went and slipped under the front door of the inn that night.
She very soon found it, and smiled to herself as she appropriated the sealed envelope addressed simply to “The Lady Nurse.”