The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1937-10-15
CHAPTER Xv-Continued

her in the warming human business
of making beds and arranging tow
els. He wasn't dead yet, anyway!
Before they had finished, Quentin
and DR.. Cudworth joined them.
Quentin looked exhausted; his
hair was tumbled, and his operating
gown, one of Miss Pierce's aprons
put on backward, was spattered
with red. He took off the apron,
and was in his sleeveless fiber
cloth undershirt; with a towel he
wiped the perspiration from his
ashen face and smiled YEARLY at
his wife.
Excuse my appearance, Vic"
he said, sitting down painting. MY
Lord, but that was quick work."
Elbow is he?" Vicky asked. But
even before she asked it, the blood
had come back to her heart and
She had had time to feel an al
most frightening frst ecstasy Of
hope.
"He's doing remarkable" DR..
Cudworth said. "And he can thank
your good husband here. You are,
in my opinion, genius, DR.. Har-
disty."
"Oh, Quent, there isn't really a
CHANGER"
Magnificent constitution, and his
own feeling will help" Quentin still
CHASTITY pale and breathing hard,
said to the other doctor. And then
to Vicky, Everything is as good as
it can be; better, would say. He
opened his eyes and looked at me;
it didn't take him five minutes to
get his bearings"
Vicky sat down in winged chair
and put her hands over her eyes
and began to cry, and Quentin,
leaning over to pat her on the back,
laughed with tears in his own eyes.
"I'm ash-sh-shamed of myself"
she stammered, looking up to smile
through wet lashes. "But-but it
saves us all! It saves us all, Quen-
tin. I've been sitting out there
alone, thinking and thinking"
'Did she come out at all?" the
lOCdl uOCtOI dShSu III tilC PduSC'
"Mrs. Morrison?"
"She's probably packing" Quen-
tin said. ST imagine she'll get out
right away. It would be the best
thing all round if she did,"
"Oh, but Quentin, the relief"
Vicky's eyes shone like stars; it
was too good to be true, too good
to be true! eff you hadn't come
back from the hospital!" she said
with shudder. eff you'd still been
in Germany! Quentin, will there
have to be an investigation now,
will there be any talk of poison?"
81 don't think So" Quentin said
somewhat uncertainty, looking at
his colleague. The other doctor re-
peated the phrase more decidedly.
"I'm extremely glad to wash my
hands of the whole thing" DR.. Cud-
worth said. Hes warned now,
and she's had a pretty sharp
scare. The amah's tipped off,
and think we might give the nurse
hint; it seems to me we might"
II am going to talk to both
nurses; I've had this girl telephone
for another" Quentin said, and once
again Vicky thought that he was
two men; the Quentin who was the
children's adored "Dad," easy and
quiet and quite willing to take
their word for anything, to listen
to them, to learn from them, and
this other Quentin, who held life
and death in his big square hands.
''It would be better to get him into
a hospital, of course, but we can't
move him now. You say Serena
hasn't shown up at all?" he asked
Victoria, when they were all in the
hall again.
"Not a sound"
"Will you wake her up? I'm going
to take look at Spencer. Amah
here will let the nurse go down
for some coffee. I've got to talk to
Serena"
Victoria crossed the upper hall,
turned the knob of Serena's door,
and spoke from the threshold:
"Serena!"
There was complete darkness
within. Serena's apartment was on
the western side of the house, and
the first dim grayness of dawn that
had struck into the kitchen, and
that was now timidly attacking the
eastern world, had made no en-
trance here. There was black night
beyond Serena's window, and in
the room vague, darker shadows.
Vicky CROPPED inside the door cas-
ing, found switch, and inundated
the place with soft, rosy light.
Everything was orderly enough.
Viclsy had seen these pink taffeta
fittings before, the pink-brocaded
walls, the long-legged doll and Man.
DARN lamps, the black worsted dog
with the beady eyes. But there was
in the silence here now something
indefinably frightening. Her heart
beat fast with terror.
Serena, still wearing the pale law
ender dressing gown in which Vicky
had first seen her last night, was
lying fiat across the unopened bed.
The delicate v1ipLr foffofo C0Unrc cfiIl