CHAPTER FIFTEEN
A CONFESSION
Kitty waited until her father had eaten dinner before bringing up the subject that had weighed on her mind since the previous evening. She knew she would have no peace until she had made a clean breast of the whole thing. When her father was in his big chair in the living room she sank on the couch near by.
“Dad, how long does it take a germ—like a strep germ—to develop after a person gets infected?” she asked.
“Two or three days, sometimes sooner. We still have a lot to learn about such things.”
“Then it’s all my fault that Billy’s ill.”
“Your fault?” Mr. Carter dropped the paper he had just picked up.
“I thoughtlessly took him where there’re plenty of germs. I—I was so intent on something I wanted to find out, I didn’t even think of the danger.”
“What are you talking about, Kitty? It’s absurd blaming yourself for his illness. You’ve taken excellent care of him ever since you came from school.”
“But, Dad, we went out into the marshes where they dump the hospital waste.”
“You—what?” Her father stared at her, shocked. Then she could see by his expression that he was recalling their conversation about the disposal of the hospital waste.