Presently she saw that his eyes were fixed on her. He spoke in his quietest tones.

"We always take precisely twenty minutes to drive from the Parade to Lavender House--twenty minutes, neither more or less. We shall be there now in exactly ten minutes."

Hester tried to smile, but failed; her agony of apprehension grew and grew. She breathed more freely when they turned into the avenue. When they stopped at the wide stone porch, and the doctor got out, she uttered a sigh of relief. She took Dr. Mayflower herself up to Nan's room. Miss Danesbury opened the door, the doctor went inside, and Hester crouched down on the landing and waited. It seemed to her that the good physician would never come out. When he did she raised a perfectly blanched face to his, she opened her lips, tried to speak, but no words would come. Her agitation was so intense that the kind-hearted doctor took instant pity on her.

"Come into this room, my child," he said. "My dear, you will be ill yourself if you give way like this. Pooh! pooh! this agitation is extreme--is uncalled for. You have got a shock. I shall prescribe a gla.s.s of sherry at once. Come down stairs with me, and I will see that you get one."

"But how is she, sir--how is she?" poor Hester managed to articulate.

"Oh! the little one--sweet, pretty, little darling. I did not know she was your sister--a dear little child. She got an ugly fall, though--came on a nasty place."

"But, please, sir, how is she? She--she--she is not in danger?"

"Danger? by no means, unless you put her into it. She must be kept very quiet, and, above all things, not excited. I will come to see her again to-morrow morning. With proper care she ought to be quite herself in a few days. Ah! now you've got a little color in your cheek, come down with me and have that gla.s.s of sherry, and you will feel all right."

CHAPTER XXIV.

ANNIE TO THE RESCUE.

The picnic-party arrived home late. The accident to little Nan had not shortened the day's pleasure, although Mrs. Willis, the moment she heard of it, had come back; for she entered the hall just as the doctor was stepping into his carriage. He gave her his opinion, and said that he trusted no further mischief, beyond a little temporary excitement, had been caused. He again, however, spoke of the great necessity of keeping Nan quiet, and said that her schoolfellows must not come to her, and that she must not be excited in any way. Mrs. Willis came into the great hall where Hester was standing. Instantly she went up to the young girl, and put her arm around and drew her to her side.

"Darling," she said, "this is a grievous anxiety for you; no words can express my sorrow and my sympathy; but the doctor is quite hopeful, Hester, and, please G.o.d, we shall soon have the little one as well as ever."

"You are really sorry for me?" said Hester, raising her eyes to the head-mistress' face.

"Of course, dear; need you ask?"

"Then you will have that wicked Annie Forest punished--well punished--well punished."

"Sometimes, Hester," said Mrs. Willis, very gravely, "G.o.d takes the punishment of our wrongdoings into His own hands. Annie came home with me. Had you seen her face as we drove together you would not have asked _me_ to punish her."

"Unjust, always unjust," muttered Hester, but in so low a voice that Mrs.

Willis did not hear the words. "Please may I go to little Nan?" she said.

"Certainly, Hester--some tea shall be sent up to you presently."

Miss Danesbury arranged to spend that night in Nan's room. A sofa bed was brought in for her to lie on, for Mrs. Willis had yielded to Hester's almost feverish entreaties that she might not be banished from her little sister. Not a sound reached the room where Nan was lying--even the girls took off their shoes as they pa.s.sed the door--not a whisper came to disturb the sick child. Little Nan slept most of the evening, only sometimes opening her eyes and looking up drowsily when Miss Danesbury changed the cold application to her head. At nine o'clock there came a low tap at the room door. Hester went to open it; one of her schoolfellows stood without.

"The prayer-gong is not to be sounded to-night. Will you come to the chapel now? Mrs. Willis sent me to ask."

Hester shook her head.

"I cannot," she whispered; "tell her I cannot come."

"Oh, I am so sorry!" replied the girl; "is Nan very bad?"

"I don't know; I hope not. Good-night."

Hester closed the room door, took off her dress, and began very softly to prepare to get into bed. She put on her dressing-gown, and knelt down as usual to her private prayers. When she got on her knees, however, she found it impossible to pray: her brain felt in a whirl, her feelings were unprayer-like; and with the temporary relief of believing Nan in no immediate danger came such a flood of hatred toward Annie as almost frightened her. She tried to ask G.o.d to make Nan better--quite well; but even this pet.i.tion seemed to go no way--to reach no one--to fall flat on the empty air. She rose from her knees, and got quietly into bed.

Nan lay in that half-drowsy and languid state until midnight. Hester, with all her very slight experience of illness, thought that as long as Nan was quiet she must be getting better; but Miss Danesbury was by no means so sure, and, notwithstanding the doctor's verdict, she felt anxious about the child. Hester had said that she could not sleep; but at Miss Danesbury's special request she got into bed, and before she knew anything about it was in a sound slumber. At midnight, when all the house was quiet, and Miss Danesbury kept a lonely watch by the sick child's pillow, there came a marked change for the worse in the little one. She opened her feverish eyes wide and began to call out piteously; but her cry now was, not for Hester, but for Annie.

"Me want my Annie," she said over and over, "me do, me do. No, no; go 'way, naughty Day-bury, me want my Annie; me do want her."

Miss Danesbury felt puzzled and distressed. Hester, however, was awakened by the piteous cry, and sat up in bed.

"What is it, Miss Danesbury?" she asked.

"She is very much excited, Hester; she is calling for Annie Forest."

"Oh, that is quite impossible," said Hester, a shudder pa.s.sing through her. "Annie can't come here. The doctor specially said that none of the girls were to come near Nan."

"Me want Annie; me want my own Annie," wailed the sick child.

"Give me my dressing-gown, please, Miss Danesbury, and I will go to her,"

said Hester.

She sprang out of bed, and approached the little crib. The brightness of Nan's feverish eyes was distinctly seen. She looked up at Hester, who bent over her; then she uttered a sharp cry and covered her little face.

"Go 'way, go 'way, naughty Hetty--Nan want Annie; Annie sing, Annie p'ay with Nan--go 'way, go 'way, Hetty."

Hester's heart was too full to allow her to speak; but she knelt by the crib and tried to take one of the little hot hands in hers. Nan, however, pushed her hands away, and now began to cry loudly.

"Annie!--Annie!--Annie! me want 'oo; Nan want 'oo--poor tibby Nan want 'oo, Annie!"

Miss Danesbury touched Hester on her shoulder.

"My dear," she said, "the child's wish must be gratified. Annie has an extraordinary power over children, and under the circ.u.mstances I shall take it upon me to disobey the doctor's directions. The child must be quieted at all hazards. Run for Annie, dear--you know her room. I had better stay with little Nan, for, though she loves you best, you don't sooth her at present--that is often so with a fever case."

"One moment," said Hester. She turned again to the little crib.

"Hetty is going to fetch Annie for Nan. Will Nan give her own Hetty one kiss?"

Instantly the little arms were flung round Hester's neck.

"Me like 'oo now, dood Hetty. Go for Annie, dood Hetty."

Instantly Hester ran out of the room. She flew quickly down the long pa.s.sage, and did not know what a strange little figure she made as the moon from a large window at one end fell full upon her. So eerie, so ghost-like was her appearance as she flew noiselessly with her bare feet along the pa.s.sage that some one--Hester did not know whom--gave a stifled cry. The cry seemed to come from a good way off, and Hester was too preoccupied to notice it. She darted into the room where Susan Drummond and Annie Forest slept.

"Annie, you are to come to Nan," she said in a sharp high-pitched voice which she scarcely recognized as her own.

"Coming," said Annie, and she walked instantly to the door with her dress on and stood in the moonlight.

"You are dressed!" said Hester in astonishment.