“For some reasons I am sorry to go, madam, but it is impossible for me to stay. I will wish you good-by now. Nurse Hester will do all she can for you—will you not, Nurse Hester?”
The strange nurse nodded but did not trouble herself to speak. She did not like Nurse Ives, and she was not going to conceal the fact.
The nurse turned and left the room. Barbara followed her on to the landing.
“I shall go in a couple of hours,” said the nurse. “I am only waiting to see Dr. Tarbot and to pack one or two of my things. Ah, I think I hear the doctor’s step on the stairs.”
The woman stood in the shadow, and the doctor, without seeing her, entered the sick-room. He stayed there for a few moments and then came out again, Barbara accompanying him.
“Yes, sir. I have waited to speak to you. I should like to say a word before I go.”
“All right, I can attend to you now. Good night, Miss Evershed. I hope you will go to bed and have a good sleep. Nurse Hester can look after the patient. There is nothing to be alarmed about in her condition—she is suffering from shock and fever. These symptoms will soon pass off.”
Barbara reentered the room, and Nurse Ives and Dr. Tarbot walked down the passage together.
“So you have quite made up your mind to go?” he said to her.
“Yes, I leave to-night. I thought I ought to tell you that I had the coffin screwed up.”
“Unmistakable signs of mortification have already set in.”
“I thought you ought to know,” said the nurse, dropping her eyes.
“Certainly. You acted with discretion. It would never do, were such the case, for Miss Evershed to be bending over the child’s body. Girls have so much false sentiment in a thing of that kind. The poor little fellow is now far beyond the reach of any sympathy which earth can give him.”
“That is what I thought, doctor. Well, I shall leave to-night.”
“No, thank you; I will go out later on and see to that myself.”
“Very well, nurse. Good-by. I shall find you at your old quarters, eh?”
“You will not undertake a new case at present?”
“I shall never undertake a new case; you understand our compact?”
“I am not likely to forget. I will call to see you to-morrow evening.”
The doctor ran down-stairs and let himself out of the house. Nurse Ives went softly back to the room where the child who was supposed to be dead lay. Having entered, she locked the door. She remained in the room for a few minutes and then went down-stairs. The footman was in the hall.