“Oh!” he said at sight of Hansel, “I thought it was the doctor.”
“Doctor?” asked Hansel. “Are you sick?”
“No, but mother is. He said he’d be back at three and he hasn’t come yet.”
“Your mother?” exclaimed Hansel, dropping his voice to match Phin’s quiet tones. “Is she here?”
“Did I say my mother? Well, I didn’t mean to. You see— Come in a minute and I’ll tell you.” Hansel followed him to the little parlor. Phin went to the window for another anxious look up the street, and then came back to where Hansel stood beside the old white marble mantel. “I didn’t mean to let it out, Hansel, but I don’t believe it matters, anyway. I kept it secret on her account; she made me promise. She wouldn’t come out here this winter unless I promised to keep it secret; you see, Hansel, she thought the fellows might—well, look down on me, I suppose, if they knew my mother did dressmaking. I told her, though, that if I attended to furnaces and beat carpets, I guessed the fellows could stand her doing sewing. But she was afraid, and so I agreed to keep it quiet. After all——”
“You mean Mrs. Freer?” asked Hansel, a light dawning on his mind. “She’s your mother?”
“Yes, one of the best a fellow ever had, Hansel. She’s worked like a slave for me for years. And that’s the reason I wanted her to come here this year and take this house. I knew I could keep an eye on her, and see that she didn’t starve herself to death in order to send me money. I thought we could rent the spare room and that she would be able to get some dressmaking to do, but it hasn’t turned out very well. And now she’s down sick with the grippe, and the doctor’s afraid it’s going to turn into pneumonia. I’ve been up with her three nights, Hansel, and I’m just about played out.”
“I’m mighty sorry,” muttered Hansel. “Look here, what can I do? Let me go and find the doctor for you? Where does he live?”
“Will you?” asked Phin eagerly. “I don’t like to leave her for very long at a time. It’s Dr. Gordon, you know, three blocks down, on the corner. I’ll be very much obliged——”
But Hansel was already hurrying along the street. The doctor had just returned from a trip into the country when Hansel reached his house, and was already preparing to go to Mrs. Freer’s. He offered to take Hansel back that far with him in the buggy, and Hansel jumped in.