probably look in as soon as she can leave her patient. I imagine this is one of the attacks of which we have heard. Most distressing. But I do not think there is any real cause for alarm. Captain Pilgrim has had a bad nightmare. When we first saw him he was not fully awake, but when Miss Day told him he had disturbed me he made a very pathetic attempt to apologise. He also became aware that his clothing was disordered and tried to set it to rights. The ability to recover self-control in this manner is evidence of sanity. I think you should not allow yourself to feel alarmed.”
It was no good. Everything in Judy shook, and went on shaking. She said things to herself like “Despicable worm!” but they didn’t seem to produce any result. Aloud she said,
“It was horrible. I shan’t be able to stay-I can’t keep Penny here. Miss Freyne offered to have her-I’ll take her round tomorrow. Suppose she had waked up, or suppose I’d been downstairs-”
Miss Silver laid a hand upon her knee.
“Since she did not wake, and you were not downstairs, it is very foolish to suppose anything of the sort. Ah-that I think is Miss Day!” She got up and went to the door. “Ah, yes-pray come in. I hope that all is well. Rather a startling experience, but quickly over. So kind of you to come and reassure us.”
Lona Day came floating in. No greater contrast to Miss Silver could have been imagined. Leaf-green draperies flattered the white skin and red-brown hair. She had the warm pallor which goes with that touch of red hair and eyes. Seen like this, she was younger, softer, and, to every sense, in deep concern.
“Judy, I’m so sorry. I’m afraid it was very startling. Perhaps I ought to have warned you-and Miss Silver-but that seems like expecting him to have an attack, and we always hope each one will be the last. He hasn’t had one-oh, for weeks-let me see-oh-”
She broke off in so much dismay that Miss Silver enquired,
“You were going to say something about the last attack?”
She had a distressed look.
“Only that it was just after the last time Miss Freyne was here.” There were tears in her eyes. “There-I suppose I oughtn’t to have said it. But what am I to do? They are all so fond of her-she’s such a great friend, and he likes seeing her. But it’s no good pretending-there’s something about her that upsets him. Not at the time, but afterwards-like this. It happens nearly every time she comes. And look at the position it puts me in. It really isn’t fair.”
Miss Silver gazed at her with mild enquiry.
“May I ask you a professional question? Is there any danger in these attacks-not to Captain Pilgrim himself, but to others?”
Lona stopped on her way to the door and said vehemently,
“Oh, no, no, no! How can you think such a thing?”
chapter 15
No one referred to the incident next day, yet it was obvious that it was on everybody’s mind. Miss Columba looked glum beyond words, and when Judy told her that she was letting Penny go on a visit to Lesley Freyne she came out with “Quite a good plan,” and had no more to say.
Penny was enchanted. She packed an imaginary suit-case with blankets and a pillow for her latest “pretend,” a baby bear called Bruno-“Only he’s not ’xactly a baby, because he can talk. You can hear how nice he talks, can’t you, Judy? He says we’ll come every day and play with J’rome and Judy. He loves J’rome because he gifted him to me-and he gifted me his ’tacha case, and his blankets and his pillow. Wasn’t it kind of him? Bruno and me think it was very kind.”
Judy came back with a light step. Penny, joyfully absorbed by the evacuees, had not even turned her head to see her go. She would be perfectly happy and perfectly, perfectly safe. Nothing else mattered. It restored her self-respect quite a lot to realize that, now Penny was out of it, she wasn’t afraid any more. She was quite ready to go in and do Jerome Pilgrim’s room, but it appeared that
It was no good. Everything in Judy shook, and went on shaking. She said things to herself like “Despicable worm!” but they didn’t seem to produce any result. Aloud she said,
“It was horrible. I shan’t be able to stay-I can’t keep Penny here. Miss Freyne offered to have her-I’ll take her round tomorrow. Suppose she had waked up, or suppose I’d been downstairs-”
Miss Silver laid a hand upon her knee.
“Since she did not wake, and you were not downstairs, it is very foolish to suppose anything of the sort. Ah-that I think is Miss Day!” She got up and went to the door. “Ah, yes-pray come in. I hope that all is well. Rather a startling experience, but quickly over. So kind of you to come and reassure us.”
Lona Day came floating in. No greater contrast to Miss Silver could have been imagined. Leaf-green draperies flattered the white skin and red-brown hair. She had the warm pallor which goes with that touch of red hair and eyes. Seen like this, she was younger, softer, and, to every sense, in deep concern.
“Judy, I’m so sorry. I’m afraid it was very startling. Perhaps I ought to have warned you-and Miss Silver-but that seems like expecting him to have an attack, and we always hope each one will be the last. He hasn’t had one-oh, for weeks-let me see-oh-”
She broke off in so much dismay that Miss Silver enquired,
“You were going to say something about the last attack?”
She had a distressed look.
“Only that it was just after the last time Miss Freyne was here.” There were tears in her eyes. “There-I suppose I oughtn’t to have said it. But what am I to do? They are all so fond of her-she’s such a great friend, and he likes seeing her. But it’s no good pretending-there’s something about her that upsets him. Not at the time, but afterwards-like this. It happens nearly every time she comes. And look at the position it puts me in. It really isn’t fair.”
Miss Silver gazed at her with mild enquiry.
“May I ask you a professional question? Is there any danger in these attacks-not to Captain Pilgrim himself, but to others?”
Lona stopped on her way to the door and said vehemently,
“Oh, no, no, no! How can you think such a thing?”
chapter 15
No one referred to the incident next day, yet it was obvious that it was on everybody’s mind. Miss Columba looked glum beyond words, and when Judy told her that she was letting Penny go on a visit to Lesley Freyne she came out with “Quite a good plan,” and had no more to say.
Penny was enchanted. She packed an imaginary suit-case with blankets and a pillow for her latest “pretend,” a baby bear called Bruno-“Only he’s not ’xactly a baby, because he can talk. You can hear how nice he talks, can’t you, Judy? He says we’ll come every day and play with J’rome and Judy. He loves J’rome because he gifted him to me-and he gifted me his ’tacha case, and his blankets and his pillow. Wasn’t it kind of him? Bruno and me think it was very kind.”
Judy came back with a light step. Penny, joyfully absorbed by the evacuees, had not even turned her head to see her go. She would be perfectly happy and perfectly, perfectly safe. Nothing else mattered. It restored her self-respect quite a lot to realize that, now Penny was out of it, she wasn’t afraid any more. She was quite ready to go in and do Jerome Pilgrim’s room, but it appeared that
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