I went to Bertrand's room and found him at work with some of the women who were to be responsible for turning the house into a hospital. To my surprise, Sonia Dainton was among them, and I stayed to speak to her while my uncle excused himself and went down to O'Rane in the dining-room.
"I want Mr. Oakleigh to let me help here," she explained. "I must do something, and mother's got all the nurses she wants."
"Are you trained?" I asked.
"No, but——"
"My dear Sonia, he spends his day turning away untrained amateurs."
"But I could do something," she insisted.
"I'm afraid it'll be a waste of time."
"But I must do something, George! All the men I know are getting commissions, all the girls are nursing or taking the men's places...." She paused indignantly, as though I had suggested that she was in some way exceptionally incompetent.
"Stay and see him by all means," I said. "He's only saying good-bye to Raney."