A STOLEN VISIT.
One morning not long after the stormy meeting in the _Commune_ room,
Molly, racking her brain over "The Theory of Mathematics," heard Otoyo's
tap at the door. She knew it was the little Japanese. Nobody else could
knock so faintly and still so distinctly.
"Come in," she called, and Otoyo glided in as softly as a mouse.
"You are much busy, Mees Brown?" she asked, retreating toward the door
when she saw Molly bending over her book.
"Oh, I can spare a few moments for a dear little friend any day,"
answered Molly. "What's happened? Nothing wrong, I hope?"
The Japanese girl appeared excited. Her eyes shone with more than their
usual luster and she seemed hardly able to keep back the news she had to
tell.
"No, no, nothing wrong. Something very right. My honorable father is
coming to Wellington to see his humble little daughter. O, I am so
happee!" and Miss Sen executed a few steps of the "Boston," she had
lately learned to dance. Molly watched the plump little figure gliding
about the room and smiled. What a dear, funny little person Otoyo was.
"I am so glad. How joyful you must be. When is he coming, Otoyo?"
"He has arriving----" Otoyo broke off quickly. Excitement always
strangely affected her English. "He has arrived now in New York and he
will come here to-morrow for the end-week."
"Week-end, you mean, child. Now, what shall we do to amuse him besides
showing him the sights? Wouldn't you like us to give him a dance or a
fudge party or something?"
Otoyo clasped her hands joyfully.
"It will be enough for my honorable father to see all the beautiful
young American ladees and the buildeengs. He will not require of his
humble daughter amusements. He is much grateful to young ladees for
kindness to little Otoyo. My honorable father will be thankful to you."
"Perhaps you would like us to go with you to the train to meet him?"
Molly suggested, wondering why Otoyo still lingered, now that she had
unburdened herself of the good news and had seen plainly that Molly was
very, very busy. But no, Otoyo thought so many young ladees at once
might embarrass her honorable parent. She would prefer to bring him to
call at No. 5 Quadrangle on Sunday afternoon if entirely acceptable.
It would be acceptable. They would all be delighted and the crowd would
be there to receive the honorable gentleman. And now, Molly was sure
Otoyo would go. But Otoyo had something else on her mind, evidently.
Molly sighed. Not for worlds would she hurt her small friend's feelings,
but she did wish she had put a busy sign on the door. It had been such a
perfect time to study, with Nance at a lecture and Judy practicing
basket ball.
"Will Mees Brown do me one great beeg favor?" began Otoyo with some
embarrassment.
"Yes, indeed. Anything."
It appeared that Otoyo was very anxious to call on Professor Green and
she wished Miss Brown to go with her.
"You have seen the honorable Professor?" she asked innocently.
"No, I have been to inquire every day, but Miss Fern told me he was not
permitted to see visitors."
For the first time in their acquaintance Molly saw Otoyo show signs of
real displeasure.
"Mees Fern?" she repeated. "She cannot say no and yes. It is for the
nurse to say."
Molly admitted that she had not seen the nurse.
"Then you will come?" cried Otoyo, with almost as much enthusiasm as she
had shown over the coming visit of her honorable father.
"But----" began Molly.
"You will so kindlee go this afternoon?" broke in the voluble little
Japanese. "Will four o'clock be an hour of convenience?"
"I really don't----" began Molly again.
"You said 'anything,'" interrupted Otoyo. "You will not go back on poor
little Japanese? You will come?" she finished, cocking her head on one
side in her own peculiarly irresistible manner.
Molly glanced at the clock. She had already lost nearly twenty minutes
of her precious study hour.
"Very well, little one, come for me at four," she said, and Otoyo fairly
flew from the room before Molly could change her mind. Out in the
corridor Miss Sen danced the Boston again, just a _pas seul_ to express
her happiness. Of course Mees Brown should never know that she had just
that moment come from seeing the great Professor.
At four o'clock Otoyo again appeared at the door of No. 5. It was
pouring down rain, but she had no intention of releasing Molly from her
promise. In her miniature rain coat and jaunty red felt hat, she looked
like a plump little robin hopping into the room.
"You are readee?" asked Otoyo.
"Why, I never dreamed you would go in the rain!" began Molly, looking up
from her writing.
Otoyo's face lengthened and the corners of her mouth drooped
disconsolately.
"Why, bless the child! Molly, aren't you ashamed to disappoint her?"
cried Judy from the divan where she was resting after her athletic
labors.
"Why, Otoyo, dear, I didn't know you were so keen about it. Of course
I'll go," said Molly remorsefully, fumbling in the closet for her
over-shoes, while Nance calmly appropriated Judy's rain coat from the
back of a chair where that young woman had flung it and held it up for
Molly to slip into.
"Better take my umbrella," she said. Molly had never owned a rain coat
and couldn't keep an umbrella.
"You know we may not be allowed to see him," Molly observed, when the
two girls had started on their wet walk down the avenue. "Miss Fern
distinctly told Judith Blount and me one day that he was not to see any
one except the family. The doctor particularly did not wish him to see
students who would remind him of his work and worry him."
"Mees Fern know too much," said Otoyo, making what she called a "scare
face" by wrinkling her nose and screwing up her mouth. "Mees Fern veree
crosslee sometimes."
"Adverbs, adverbs, Otoyo," admonished Molly.
"Excusa-me," said Otoyo. "It is when I become a little warm here in my
brain that I grow adverbial."
Molly laughed. In her heart there was a secret, unacknowledged feeling
of relief that she was going to try to see Professor Green in spite of
Miss Fern. It was a relief, too, to find herself in the outdoors after
her long vigil of study. The rain beat on her face and the fresh wind
nipped her cheeks until they glowed with color.
"You are much too small and feeble to come out in all this weather,
Otoyo," she said, slipping her arm through her friend's. "You are so
tiny you might easily fall into a puddle and drown."
"Ah, thees is notheeng," cried Otoyo. "In Japan it rains--oceans! And
for so long. Days and days without refraining from." She was very apt to
use big words instead of smaller ones, her own language being
exceedingly formal and grandiose. "Notheeng is dry. Not even within the
edifices."
"Houses, Otoyo."
"But a house is an edifice, is it not so?"
"Oh, yes, but we wouldn't use such a showy word."
Otoyo was still puzzling out why the longer word was not the better when
they reached the infirmary. The regular nurse of the infirmary who
usually sat in the waiting room was not visible to-day. A freshman was
ill and she was probably busy, Otoyo explained.
"Who is looking after the Professor?" Molly asked.
Miss Fern, it appeared, assisted by the infirmary nurse, attended her
cousin during the day, and his sister nursed him at night. Having
imparted this information in a loud whisper, Otoyo started upstairs on
tiptoe, Molly following. Somehow, she felt quite courageous and not at
all afraid of Miss Fern, with the little Japanese to lead her on.
All the doors were closed in the corridor above and on the ward room
door hung a sign, "No Admittance."
"She must be quite ill," whispered Molly.
"She has a taking disease," answered Otoyo. "Like this." And she puffed
out both jaws to the roundness of the full moon.
Molly stifled a laugh.
"Mumps, do you mean?"
Otoyo nodded.
"It was so called to me by the honorable nurse," she added gravely.
The two girls lingered a moment in the hall. Molly was opposed to
rapping on the Professor's door, but Otoyo, amiably but unswervingly
persistent in attaining her ends, gently tapped on the door.
"Come in," called Professor Green's voice, weak almost beyond
recognition.
Otoyo peeped into the room.
"He is alone," she whispered, and with that she pushed Molly through the
door with arm of steel. "I will keep watch for ten minutes without.
Then I will call." She closed the door and Molly found herself looking
fearfully through the dim shadows cast by half-drawn green blinds, at an
emaciated face on the pillow. Her pulses throbbed and she wanted very
much to cry. Indeed, it required almost superhuman effort to keep back
the tears. Was this emaciated, wax-like face on the pillows her
Professor's?
"I'm afraid I ought not to be here," she began in a low voice.
"If you leave I shall cry," said the Professor. "Won't you come nearer?"
Molly crept over to the bedside and stood looking down into the changed
face. Only the brown eyes seemed the same. She choked and tried to
smile. One must be cheerful with sick people, and she hoped the
Professor would think it was the rain that had wet her cheeks.
"Shake hands, Miss Molly," said the Professor, lifting one transparent
hand and then dropping it weakly.
With an impulse she could hardly explain she knelt beside the bed and
put her hand over his.
"You are much better?" she whispered.
"I'll soon be well, now," he replied. "But I've been on a long journey.
It seemed endless--so many mountains to climb and rivers to cross--such
impenetrable forests----" he paused and shook his head. "I was beginning
to get very tired and lonely, too--it's dismal taking the journey
alone--but I've come to the end now--it's over----" again he paused and
smiled. "I'm glad to find you at last. I've been looking for you a long
time."
"I would have come sooner, but they--but she said no one was to see
you."
"The nurse?"
Molly shook her head.
"My sister?"
"No, Miss Fern."
"I never was so bossed in my life----" a sudden strength came into his
voice. "These women!" he added in a tone of disgust.
The door opened and Otoyo's voice was heard saying in a loud whisper.
"The ten minutes have passed away."
"Good-bye," whispered Molly.
"Will you come again?" he asked.
She nodded and tiptoed hurriedly out of the room. She had caught a
glimpse of the blue paper weight on the table during that stolen
interview.
"No wonder Miss Alice Fern is so bossy with him," she thought. "I
suppose she has a right to be." Molly sighed. Somehow she wished she had
not seen the blue paper weight. It had spoiled all the happiness in the
visit, except of course her happiness over his recovery.
When the two girls reached the head of the stairs, the door to the ward
opened and the nurse looked out. She exchanged a smiling nod with Otoyo.
"Why, Miss Sen, you naughty little thing, I believe this visit was all
arranged beforehand," exclaimed Molly.
But Miss Sen only laughed and not one word of excuse or explanation
would she give.
"Otoyo, you are as deep as deep----" Molly began.
But Otoyo pressing closely to her side, looked up into Molly's face and
smiled so sweetly it was impossible to scold her.
"You are very kindlee to humble little Japanese girl," she said. "Better
than all the young ladies of Wellington, I like you best, Mees Brown.
There is no one so good and so beautiful----"
"You outrageous little flatterer, you are changing the subject," cried
Molly.
"With all my honor, I give you assurance that I speak trulee."
"You make me very happee, then," laughed Molly, "but what has that got
to do with Professor Green?"
"Did I say there was any connecting?" asked Otoyo innocently.
And so Miss Sen, unfathomable and still guileless, never explained about
the stolen visit, and Molly Brown, baffled and still glad in her heart,
had to think up any explanation she could.