"I don't believe she'll go. If I know the Atom when she's calm and all
right, she'll stick to her guns. If she doesn't--if she still wants to
go--I take her. The coming back--having it all over again--will be
awful for her, but there was nothing else to do."
"No," she agreed.
*CHAPTER XXX*
"Good morning, Atom."
Nell bent caressingly over the bed, and laid her hand lightly on a cool
little brow.
"Good mornin', Nell."
"You're better, asthore, you're better." There was a gay lilt to her
voice that told her relief, her joy, more plainly than her words.
"Yes," the Atom said. "Will I get up now, Nell?"
"Oh, no, dear, you must wait till Dr. Everton has been. Do you ache
anywhere now?"
"Only a little."
Nell looked down into the sombre eyes, then turned away.
Sheila Pat lay stiff and still, her small face frowning a little,
solemn, mournful.
When Denis came cheerily in, she looked at him quickly, nervously, and
her face flushed a little.
"Well, invalidish Atom, you'll soon be up and worrying me again, won't
you?"
"Good mornin', Denis."
"Pardon. Good morning. Aren't you going to give me a kiss?"
She turned her face to his languidly. He looked at Nell and raised his
eyebrows. Then he sat down on the bed and talked.
Sheila Pat lay very quiet and answered monosyllabically.
"You're very unkind to me, Atom, you know."
She gave him another odd little glance, and her face grew scarlet.
"I--I'm thinkin'," she stammered. "--I'm not unkind--"
"Of course you're not! I was joking. I must be off now. Good-bye."
"Good-bye."
When he had gone, she lifted her head.
"Nell, when is Dr. Everton comin'?"
"Any moment."
"Nell--"
"Yes, dear?"
"I--I wish to speak to him--alone, please."
For a moment Nell looked startled.
"There isn't anything--you don't mean there's some pain you haven't told
us of?"
"No. I'm quite well now."
"Very well. You shall, dear."
"Thank you."
Molly tiptoed into the room, knocked a photograph off the mantle shelf,
bade the Atom a loudly whispered good morning, stood on one leg, then on
the other, and tiptoed out again.
"Nell, isn't Dr. Everton here yet?"
"He will be presently, Atom."
"Will he come straight up to me?"
"Oh, yes."
"Are you _sure_? Perhaps he's talkin' to Aunt Kezia now?"
"I'll go and see," soothingly.
In a few minutes he came. Miss Kezia came upstairs with him, but at
Nell's request she followed her presently from the room, and left the
doctor and the Atom alone.
"Dr. Everton!"
"Yes, my dear?"
Pause.
He looked down at her surprised. Sheila Pat was breathing hard; her
eyes were wildly eager.
"Something is troubling you," he said gently. "Tell me what it is!"
But she shrank back nervously into the bed.
"You see--I--"
"Well?" He felt the fluttering pulse again. "Tell me, little one."
"Was I--" Pause; then, with a burst, "Was I 'lirious last night?"
"Now, now, you mustn't get nervous--"
Her face stopped him. He rubbed his chin and studied her perplexedly.
He was trying to discover what it was that she wanted.
"Was I?" She sat up, clung to the bed knob with one hand. "I--I
_thought_ I was!"
The expressive voice held a note of despairing doubt in the last words
that helped him.
"Well, you were very feverish and," he was feeling his way, "you
certainly didn't quite know what you were saying--um! Yes, you _were_
delirious!" he finished with sudden heartiness. There was no doubting
now what it was she wanted. At his words she sank down on to the pillow
with a sort of little croon of relief.
"When a person's 'lirious she might say--say _very_ foolish things--she
might--_ask_ for things--she'd be 'shamed to if she _knew_--"
He was sure of his way now. He pulled his chair closer, and his clever
face softened.
"I should think so, indeed. Why, now, there was a young lady I was
attending,--she was quite grown-up, too,--and when she is well she's a
very sensible sort of girl, but she was delirious, and what do you think
she kept crying out for? Why, an elephant--a real, live elephant!"
Sheila Pat laughed.
He took her hand into his.
"Oh, yes, people say and do very queer things when they are delirious.
I had a big boy once who wanted a doll, and another who wanted to start
for Australia." He paused as he felt the hand in his give a little
jerk.
"Do persons--often want to--to go somewhere when they're 'lirious?"
"Very often. It's one of the commonest wants, little one."
Sheila Pat was smiling; she lay looking up at him, her face pale, tired,
but very peaceful.
"You're going to be a good little girl, and keep very quiet, and take
all your medicine--"
"I--I'm just goin' to be as good as--as snow-drops."
"Why snowdrops?"
She drew her brows together in thought. "I don't know: snowdrops are
just good through and through."
He smiled.
"I do think you're such a nice doctor," Sheila Pat said earnestly.
When Nell crept in a few minutes later, she was fast asleep. When she
woke, she took her medicine without a murmur.
"Is Denis home, Nell?"
"I think he's just come in. Yes, here he is."
He entered with a beautiful bunch of parma violets.
"With Lancaster's compliments. Aren't you proud, Atom?"
"They are very beautiful," but her eye was absent.
Nell took them and buried her nose in them.
"Denis, Dr. Everton says I was 'lirious last night."
"Poor old Atom."
"And--and he says when a person's 'lirious, they want elephants and
Australia and--and to go to places--"
There was a pause.
The Atom turned her face a little away on the pillow.
"I remember--some--I--I didn't know what I was sayin', Denis--I--I
wouldn't--have--said--it if--"
"Of course you wouldn't. We know that. But what I said holds good,
Atom. If you want me to take you home for a few days, I will!"
There was silence in the room. Sheila Pat had turned her face to the
pillow and buried it deep. Nell stood, the violets pressed against her
cheek, waiting.
"No--thank you." It came with a little catch between the two first
words, but firm, decided.
Denis bent his head suddenly, and whispered in her ear. She turned,
stretched up her arms, and held him tight. Tears were running quietly
down her face and dropping on to her nightgown, but Nell caught an
ecstatically proud note in the whispered query, "Do
you--really-_truly_--think I'm all that?"
When he had gone, she turned to Nell.
"Am I very heavy, Nell?"
Nell felt suddenly what a bit of a baby Sheila Pat was: she stroked her
cheek gently.
"You weigh about as much as a good-sized robin. Why?"
"I do feel," wistfully, "I'd like to sit on your lap a little while!"
"Oh, petsums, come along."
She fell asleep almost directly.
That evening, wrapped in blankets, sitting in a large arm-chair, the
Atom received three visitors.
Stewart came first. He was very subdued, shy of this white-faced Atom
in the blankets.
He sat down and stared at her.
"You're to intertain me," she told him peremptorily.
Stewart, just about to speak, at this awful mandate flushed and
collapsed.
Sheila Pat watched him relentlessly.
"Sure you English _are_ queer! Mum! Mum! Mum!"
"Do you feel better?" he burst out.
"You know I do, else I wouldn't be receivin' visitors."
Silence.
"You're not intertainin' me," warned the Atom.
"I don't know how! I've never done it!"
"I think you're a very silly little boy, and you're not intertainin' me
at all! You'd better go, I think."
He got as far as the door.
"Tommy, come back!"
He stood and faced her, his thin little body stretched to its utmost
limit.
"I'm not a _little_ boy!"
"Tommy, how's Peter?"
He came back eagerly.
"I say, what d'you think he swallowed yesterday?"
Ted Lancaster came next.
"Mayn't I pull your pig-tail?" he asked gently.
"'Tisn't any manners you English have got at all!" Sheila Pat retorted.
"Ah, that's all right. 'Pon my word, when I came in you looked so good,
I was afraid I'd never be allowed to be rude to you again. May I hide
that medicine bottle? I do hate medicine bottles. They carry me back
to a sick room of my own."