"Where have you been, all the afternoon!" Dr. Carmon was fuming in the
office. He got up as Aunt Jane came in.
"Where have you been?" he demanded. "I've needed you! They looked
everywhere for you!"
She came calmly in. "I went home with Mr. Medfield." She took up the
little tablet slate on her desk and consulted it absently. "He needed
me--he thought he needed me."
"What for?" The tone was brusque. "He was well enough when _I_ saw him.
Couldn't he go home without upsetting the whole hospital!"
"He didn't like to go without me," said Aunt Jane. "In fact, he wouldn't
go," she added. She put down the little tablet. "I'm sorry you needed
me.... I don't very often go out."
"Well"--his tone was mollified--"we managed to pull through without
you. But I like to feel you're around--when I need you."
"I generally mean to be," she said placidly.
He glanced at her suspiciously. She was unusually meek.
"What have you been doing all the afternoon? It didn't take four hours
to go out to Medfield's place and back!"
"We had tea--and we talked some."
"Umph! Well, we've got _him_ off our hands!"
"Yes--we've got him off our hands," assented Aunt Jane. "He's a good
man," she added.
"He's got money," said Dr. Carmon, without enthusiasm. "I never heard of
his doing much good with it."
She opened her little bag and took out the two blue slips and looked at
them. Then she returned one of them to the bag and handed the other to
him, without comment.
He received it blankly and read it--and readjusted his glasses and read
it again. He took off the glasses and held them in the tight clutch of
one hand, resting on his knee, and surveyed her keenly.
"I suppose you know what it is!"
"Fifty thousand," she said meekly.
"He's given you fifty thousand dollars!" He shook the little blue slip
scornfully.
"It isn't for me-- It's for us!"
"What!" he said sharply. He put on his glasses again. "For the hospital,
is it?" He took it up.