It may sound strange, but I really felt very little the worse for
that long night's vigil. I went home, took a cold bath, had breakfast
in a near-by restaurant (one of those, ten, twenty, twenty-five-cent
places), and went to work just the same as ever. What is more, I had a
specially hard day at the yards, for of course Fred was not there, and
I had to do a good part of his work.
Frank Hermann wanted to know just how I got away from Fred, and I told
him just what had happened. He said admiringly:
"Gee! you're one corker, Nora!"
"Fred gave me my job," I said, but I may as well add that I felt rather
proud. Not every girl can be called a "dead-game sport" and a "corker."
Hermann said he had told the men about the place who had seen me go
home with Fred that he had joined us, and later had himself taken Fred
home. I felt grateful to Hermann for that. Personally I cared very
little what these stock-yard people thought of me. Still it was good of
Frank to undertake to protect me. He was a "good sort," I must say.
One of the girls in the bus said as we were going home that evening
that I looked "fagged out," so I suppose I had begun to show the
effects of the night; but I was not aware of any great fatigue until I
got on the street car. All the seats were taken, and I had to stand in
a crush all the way home, holding to a strap. I was glad enough to get
home, I can tell you.
I thought Lolly was in when I saw the light in my room, and that
surprised me, because her hours were very irregular. She seldom came
home for dinner, and often worked at night.
I suppose it was the surprise and shock of finding him there, and, of
course, my real state of weakness, but I nearly fainted when I saw Mr.
Hamilton in my room. His back was turned to the door when I went in, as
he was looking at the books he had sent me. Then he turned around and
said:
"Well, how's the wonderful girl?"
I couldn't answer him, and I must have looked very badly, for he came
over to me quickly, took both my hands, and drew me down to the couch
beside him. Then he said roughly:
"You see, you can't stand work like this. You're all trembling and
pale."