Morning found her burning with fever, with an aching head and a crushed and breaking heart.
She could not rise, and, although faint, the very thought of food filled her with loathing, and yet her throat and mouth were dry and hot with a terrible thirst.
Thus good Mrs. Blunt found her about ten o’clock. She had missed her from breakfast—something very unusual, for Star was as prompt as the day itself generally—but she had not had time to inquire into the cause of her absence until now, for there had been lively doings down in her department that morning.
“Merciful sakes alive! whatever in the world has happened to you, Miss Star?” she cried, when, on thrusting her heated face in at the door, she saw the young girl in her wretched condition lying on the bed.
“I believe I do not feel very well this morning,” Star said, wearily.
“I should think not, indeed! You’ve got a high fever, and yet you’re shaking with the cold. Goodness gracious, child! and you all dressed out like this, too! What has happened?” Mrs. Blunt cried, aghast, as she pulled back the coverlid and saw at a glance that she had been lying all night in her clothing.
Star was too miserable to explain, as the good woman saw, and she did not press her with questions; but with nimble yet tender hands she removed her clothing, replacing it with her robe de nuit, and then wrapping her in a heavy blanket, she tucked her snugly into bed once more.
She then went down below, where she prepared a steaming drink of some kind, with which she hastened back to her patient, and insisted that she should drink it—“every drop.”
The poor child obeyed, feeling too wretched to offer any objections; and then saturating a napkin with camphor and water, Mrs. Blunt bound it about her aching head, and darkening the room, bade her go to sleep again as quickly as possible, for of course school was not to be thought of that day; and indeed Star had forgotten the existence of such an institution.
The hot drink warmed and soothed her, while the kind attention of the woman comforted her; and exhausted nature asserting itself, she soon dropped into a profound slumber.