"I like it--yes!" She looked about her with grateful eyes--at the
photographs and flowers and then at Aunt Jane's face. "It's beautiful!"
she said softly.
"Well, I don't know as it's so beautiful." Aunt Jane was looking
thoughtfully before her. She was thinking of Suite A, perhaps. "It's a
good, comfortable room and you get a little sun--along toward sunset."
She glanced at the window, where the streak of sunshine was creeping in
on the sill, and a little glow came from the sky. "It's a comfortable
room--yes."
"The ward would be cheaper," said the woman. She hesitated. "It don't
seem quite fair to him--the man that's paying, I mean--not to get along
as cheap as we can."
"I wouldn't worry about getting along cheap," said Aunt Jane. "Some
folks need one thing, and some another. What _you_ need is to keep still
a spell and rest.... You don't feel lonesome, do you?"
"Lonesome! Oh, no!" She gave a little sigh. Her thin hands were clasped
in her lap. "It is so _good_ to be quiet!" she said.
"I thought likely," Aunt Jane nodded. "You just sit still and enjoy your
quiet and get well ... you don't need to worry about the man that's
going to pay. He wouldn't want you to worry. He's comfortable and he'd
want _you_ to be comfortable. _He's_ got a good room."
The woman's eyes brooded on it. "I can't thank him, or do anything," she
said a little wistfully. "I'd like to have him know how we feel about
his doing it."
"Well, you can thank him by and by, when you get round to it--if you
want to," said Aunt Jane. "I guess he'll let you thank him. You want to
get well first."
"Yes." Her eyes were on the forget-me-nots and she reached out a hand to
them. "I might send him some of my flowers," she said eagerly.
Aunt Jane's face wrinkled at the forget-me-nots--a little perplexed and
surprised and amused look.
"I _could_ send them to him, couldn't I? It would be proper to send them
to him?"
"Yes--I guess it's proper," said Aunt Jane dryly. "I don't believe he's
got any flowers in his room." Her eyes twinkled.
"I'll send them to him now--right off! You pick out a nice bunch for
him." She reached to them with a happy gesture.
Aunt Jane bent over the forget-me-nots, her smile full of gentle
chuckles. "We'll make him a nice bunch," she said cheerfully. She
selected a few meagre blossoms here and there.
"You're not getting the best ones!" The little woman was excited and
eager. "They're better on this side. See--there's one--and there!" Her
face had the soft, clear color of happiness.
Aunt Jane drew out the flowers with half-reluctant touch and arranged
them slowly. "Seems 'most too bad to spoil your bunch," she said.
"Oh, I like it!" The woman laughed a little tremulously. "I told you it
kind of hurt me to have so many, and it's a way of thanking him, isn't
it? Here, take this one!"
Her eyes were shining. "Don't they look nice! You tell him I thank him,
please, and I hope he's doing well."
"I'll tell him," said Aunt Jane. Her eyes rested on the flowers. "I
shouldn't wonder if he'd be real pleased with them." She held them off
and surveyed them thoughtfully. "I'll tell him what you said and I guess
maybe he'll get a good deal of comfort out of it. He needs flowers--and
some one to think about him--as much as anybody ever I see."