The major bided his time; and as though to aid him just then, there came an incident which certainly was in his favour. He had come unscratched out of the sortie, but he had caught a chill, and fever of a slight character supervened. He immediately suggested that he should be moved into hospital. There happened to be a vacant bed, and the major occupied it. Now Mollie would nurse him; she could not avoid him when he was ill and suffering. His eyes followed her as she walked about the ward. To his distress and dismay, however, she appointed Katherine Hunt to look after the angry major.
Katherine was now almost as often in the ward as one of the trained nurses. She had a head on her shoulders, and could do anything that a girl might be supposed capable of doing. When the major was brought in, she had gone to Mollie and told her.
"Your friend Major Strause is down with fever," she said: "I suppose you will take his case?"
Mollie coloured, and a wistful look came into her eyes.
"I will look after him if you wish," said Katherine eagerly.
"I should be so much obliged. I don't suppose he is very ill, and I cannot leave the surgical cases to-night."
Accordingly Katherine was the one who gave Major Strause his medicines, his cooling drinks and his other comforts. He bore with her for a time. There had been a moment when he would have given ten years of his life to have Katherine Hunt, the daughter of the millionaire, waiting on him. But his passion made him impervious to money just now, and he felt that if all the riches of the world were to be offered him with Katherine, and Mollie were to come to him penniless, he would choose her. But next best to Mollie was Katherine Hunt, and he determined, if possible, to make her his friend.
"Why does not Miss Kitty Hepworth do her share of the nursing?" he said towards morning, when Katherine had time to linger by his bedside for a moment.
"Because she is not strong enough. We have had to forbid her to come to the hospital," replied Katherine.
"She is a poor sort; don't you think so?" said the major.
"I certainly do not," replied Katherine, with some indignation.
He looked at her, and gave the ghost of a smile.
"There is no mystery about it," replied Katherine. "She is anything but strong. We have to look after her."