wrists, and all the other details which made up such abeautiful picture. "I forgot," he said, quietly, "that society duties nowtake precedence over all others." Then, with an instant change of manner,he went on: "You do yourself an injustice, I think, Miss Durant, in evenquestioning what you are going to do. You know you are coming to the boy."
For the briefest instant the girl returned his intent look, trying tofathom what enabled him to speak with such absolute surety; then she said,"Let us lose no time," as she turned back into the hall and hurried out ofthe front door, not even attending to the doctor's protest about her goingwithout a wrap; and she only said to him at the carriage door, "You willdrive with me, of course, Dr. Armstrong?" Then to the footman, "TellMurdock, the hospital, Maxwell, but you are to go at once to Mrs. Purdy,and say I shall be prevented from coming to her to-night by a call thatwas not to be disregarded,"
"It was madness of you, Miss Durant, to come out without a cloak, and Iinsist on your wearing this," said the doctor, the moment the carriage hadstarted, as he removed his own overcoat.
"Oh, I forgot--but I mustn't take it from you, Dr. Armstrong."
"Have no thought of me. I am twice as warmly clad as you, and am betterprotected than usual."
Despite her protest he placed it about Constance's shoulders and buttonedit up. "You know," he said, "the society girl with her bare throat andarms is at once the marvel and the despair of us doctors, for every dinneror ball ought to have its death-list from pneumonia; but it never--"
"Will it be a very painful operation?" asked the girl.
"Not at all; and the anaesthetic prevents consciousness. If Swot were alittle older, I should not have had to trouble you. It is a curious factthat boys, as a rule, face operations more bravely than any other class ofpatient we have."
"I wonder why that is?" queried Constance.
"It is due to the same ambition which makes cigarette-smokers of them--adesire to be thought manly."
Once the carriage reached the hospital, Constance followed the doctor upthe stairs and through the corridor. "Let me relieve you of the coat, MissDurant," he advised, and took it from her and passed it over to one of theorderlies. Then, opening a door, he made way for her to enter.
"The two were quickly seated on the floor"]
Constance passed into a medium-sized room, which a first glance showed herto be completely lined with marble; but there her investigations ceased,for her eyes rested on the glass table upon which lay the little fellow,while beside him stood a young doctor and a nurse. At the sound of herfootsteps the boy turned his head till he caught sight of her, when, afteran instant's stare, he surprised the girl by hiding his eyes and beginningto cry.
"Ise knowed all along youse wuz goin' to kill me," he sobbed.
"Why, Swot," cried Constance, going to his side. "Nobody is going to killyou."
The hands were removed from the eyes, and still full of tears, theyblinkingly stared a moment at the girl.
"Hully gee! Is dat youse?" he ejaculated. "Ise tought youse wuz de angelcome for me."
"You may go many years in society, Miss Durant, without winning anothercompliment so genuine," remarked Dr. Armstrong, smiling. "Nor is itsurprising that he was misled," he added.
Constance smiled in return as she answered, "And it only proves how thevalue of a compliment is not in its truthfulness, but in its being truthto the one who speaks it."
"Say, youse won't let dem do nuttin' bad to me, will youse?" implored theboy.
"They are only going to help you, Swot," the girl assured him, as she tookhis hand.
"Den w'y do dey want to put me to sleep for?"
"To spare you suffering,"
"Dis oin't no knock-out drops, or dat sorter goime? Honest?"
"No. I won't let them do you any harm."
"Will youse watch dem all de time dey's doin' tings to me?"
"Yes. And if you'll be quiet and take it nicely, I'll bring you a presentto-morrow."
"Dat's grand! Wot'll youse guv me? Say, don't do dat," he protested, asthe nurse applied the sponge and cone to his face.
"Lie still, Swot," said Constance, soothingly, "and tell me what you wouldbest like me to give you. Shall it be a box of building-blocks--or somesoldiers--or a fire-engine--or--"
"Nah. Ise don't want nuttin' but one ting--an' dat's--wot wuz Isetinkin'--Ise forgits wot it wuz--lemme see--Wot's de matter? Wheer isyouse all?--" The little frame relaxed and lay quiet.
"That is all you can do for us, Miss Durant," said Dr. Armstrong.
"May I not stay, as I promised him I would?" begged Constance.
"Can you bear the sight of blood?"
"I don't know--but see--I'll turn my back." Suiting the action to theword, the girl faced so that, still holding Swot's hand, she was lookingaway from the injured leg.
A succession of low-spoken orders to his assistants was the doctor's wayof telling her that he left her to do as she chose, She stood quietly fora few minutes, but presently her desire to know the progress of theoperation, and her anxiety over the outcome, proved too strong for her,and she turned her head to take a furtive glance. She did not look awayagain, but with a strange mixture of fascination and squeamishness, shewatched as the bleeding was stanched with sponges, each artery tied, andeach muscle drawn aside, until finally the nerve was reached and removed;and she could not but feel both wonder and admiration as she noted how Dr.Armstrong's hands, at other times seemingly so much in his way, now didtheir work so skilfully and rapidly. Not till the operation was over, andthe resulting wound was being sprayed with antiseptics, did the girlrealize how cold and faint she felt, or how she was trembling. Droppingthe hand of the boy, she caught at the operating-table, and then the roomturned black.
"It's really nothing," she asserted. "I only felt dizzy for an instant.Why! Where am I?"
"You fainted away, Miss Durant, and we brought you here," explained thenurse, once again applying the salts. The woman rose and went to the door."She is conscious now, Dr. Armstrong."
As the doctor entered Constance tried to rise, but a motion of his handchecked her. "Sit still a little yet, Miss Durant," he orderedperemptorily. From a cupboard he produced a plate of crackers and a glassof milk, and brought them to her.
"I really don't want anything," declared the girl.
"You are to eat something at once," insisted Dr. Armstrong, in a verydomineering manner.
He held the glass to her lips, and Constance, after a look at his face,took a swallow of the milk, and then a piece of cracker he broke off.
"How silly of me to behave so," she said, as she munched.
"The folly was mine in letting you stay in the room when you had had nodinner. That was enough to knock up any one," answered the doctor. "Here."Once again the glass was held to her lips, and once again, after a look athis face, Constance drank, and then accepted a second bit of cracker fromhis fingers.
"Do you keep these especially for faint-minded women?" she asked, tryingto make a joke of the incident.
"This is my particular sanctum, Miss Durant; and as I have a reprehensiblehabit of night-work, I keep them as a kind of sleeping potion."
Constance glanced about the room with more interest, and as she noticedthe simplicity and the bareness, Swot's remark concerning the doctor'spoverty came back to her. Only many books and innumerable glass bottles, amicroscope, and other still more mysterious instruments, seemed to save itfrom the tenement-house, if not, indeed, the prison, aspect.
"Are you wondering how it is possible for any one to live in such a way?"asked the doctor, as his eyes followed hers about the room.
"If you will have my thought," answered Constance, "it was that I am inthe cave of the modern hermit, who, instead of seeking solitude, becauseof the sins of mankind, seeks it that he may do them good."
"We have each had a compliment to-night," replied Dr. Armstrong, his facelighting up.
The look in his eyes brought something into the girl's thoughts, and witha slight effort she rose. "I think I am we
ll enough now to relieve you ofmy intrusion," she said.
"You will not be allowed to leave the hermit's cell till you have finishedthe cracker and the milk," affirmed the man. "I only regret that I can'tkeep up the character by offering you locusts and wild honey."
"At least don't think it necessary to stay here with me," said MissDurant, as she dutifully began to eat and drink again. "If--oh--theoperation--How is Swot?"
"Back in the ward, though