"Oh--Romeo and Juliet!" The tone dismissed the youthful lovers, and
laughed at her.
Aunt Jane received it. "They're only two--I know--and two isn't a
family--exactly--but there'll be little ones--you see! They'll be all
over the place, I expect."
Her eyes seemed to be watching the children playing in the great room.
"They'll look nice, won't they!"
He shook his head. "I wasn't thinking of Julian and Mary--nor of
children-- Never mind!" He put it aside. "I'll tell you sometime."
Aunt Jane had taken up the check from beside her plate, and was folding
it in slow fingers.
"You don't know what that is going to do," she said slowly. "But I can
see it--plain as if I was right there now--the folks that will get well
with this, and be like folks again!... It's hard to be poor!" She opened
the bag that hung at her side, and put in the check, and closed it
softly.
He sat up and leaned an elbow on the table, resting his head on it and
looking across to her under the shading hand. "There's one thing I
wanted to ask you."
"Yes?" Aunt Jane's response was veiled. But the good-will in her face
shone through. "I'll tell you anything I can. There's a good many things
I don't know." Her cap was whimsical.
"You know this!" He laughed. "It's about your old hospital!" He motioned
toward the little bag with its check.
"Oh--I know the hospital-- It's 'most all I do know!"
"You feel as if you owned it, don't you!" His tone teased her gently.
Then he left it--and leaned forward----
"What I was thinking was this: Isn't there something that you would like
for the hospital--not just contagion--not a whole wingful!" He twinkled
at it. "But something you have seen that is needed. Isn't there
something?" He folded his arms on the table, and looked across the
teacups at the thoughtful little lines that came and went in her face.
"Is there?" he said.
The lines took it in--and held it wistfully. "You don't mean
tea-strainers and such things--you mean something worth while?"
He nodded. "Something worth while, yes. I mean anything.... Think of
it--not for yourself, perhaps--" His face grew intent. "Think of it as
if some other woman were there."
Aunt Jane sat up. "I can't hardly think of any other woman running my
hospital!" she said dryly.