s and one person alone could tarnish it.”
“Thank you, Matron. I ’ ll remember.” Sally got to her feet and backed toward the door. “Good night, Matron.”
The gray-haired woman smiled unexpectedly. “Good night, Nurse Conway. I trust you have a more peaceful night, but I would suggest that another time when you have a hungry surgeon on your hands you inform the night chef ... through the proper channels.”
Sally was outside the door before the impact of what Matron had just said struck her. So Matron had known all of it all the time and hadn ’ t made her tell any of the difficult bits that might have involved other people to their hurt. What a wonderful woman she was and how wise. Sally went sailing along the corridor on winged feet and her heart was singing. Just wait until she told John and George what had happened. Then her feet slowed. If she told them wouldn ’ t she be undoing all that Matron had done and she might be the one person who would tarnish the reputation of St. Bride ’ s? Had Matron realized that and put her on her honor in a way?
Sally went very thoughtfully up the stairs. All her set who were on nights would be busy taking the report from the day staff and there was no one she could discuss it with ... not now. George would be up later. It wasn ’ t often that he didn ’ t drop in on his way around the hospital—“George ’ s progress” it had been affectionately dubbed by the night nurses, and Sally knew that he spent almost as much time on the wards as he did visiting her. But could she tell him or John or anyone beyond giving them a warning to be careful?
The theater superintendent was off duty and Sally was very glad.
Staff Nurse Smithers greeted her cheerfully. “Hello, Conway. Have a good sleep? All the drums have been packed ... at least all that can be ... no more linen left. If you could make some gauze dressings and stitch some mops, we ’ d be most grateful. And if you really have any spare time we could do with some new gloves ... sixes and eights ... if you ’ d powder them and leave them in their boxes. No rumors of any cases or—”
“—anything,” Sally offered.
But her bait brought nothing fresh.
“Just the usual. Theater Super ’ s been biting everyone but she does that most days now. Oh, you might like to know Gloria and Mike are holding their own, and there ’ s a piece in the daily paper—but perhaps you ’ ve seen it.”
“Not I. Someone had pinched it from the sitting room. What did it say?”
“Nothing much, just saying that Mike was the king of the ‘ ton ’ boys or whatever that means.”
“That ’ s the guys who do over a hundred miles on their bikes,” said a voice behind them.
Sally whirled round and then wished she hadn ’ t. A pair of light blue eyes were giving her a look that wasn ’ t quite as casual as ... last night.
“Good evening, sir,” she said with more calm than she was feeling.
“How was your bed? Did it feel as good as you thought it would?”
“Yes, sir, it did.”
Sally knew she was sounding stiff and stilted and it didn ’ t help to see Smithers trying to make a tactful withdrawal ... and she hadn ’ t a chance to ask her a very important question, and she couldn ’ t very well run after her...
John showed no signs of following Nurse Smithers ’ s example, and he settled himself comfortably on a corner of the table in the staff room.
Sally picked up the big roll of gauze and began to fold it into lengths.
John watched her for a moment. “Cat got your tongue—or am I upsetting the precious system again?”
Sally moved restlessly. “It isn ’ t that ... it ’ s because you ’ re too ... senior!”
Sally had to laugh. “You ’ re hopeless! It isn ’ t that I don ’ t want to talk to you ... and don ’ t you dare take that the wrong way! It ’ s that I ’ m on duty ... but when you ’ re up in the theater doing a case you ’ ve got an official reason for being here,
“Thank you, Matron. I ’ ll remember.” Sally got to her feet and backed toward the door. “Good night, Matron.”
The gray-haired woman smiled unexpectedly. “Good night, Nurse Conway. I trust you have a more peaceful night, but I would suggest that another time when you have a hungry surgeon on your hands you inform the night chef ... through the proper channels.”
Sally was outside the door before the impact of what Matron had just said struck her. So Matron had known all of it all the time and hadn ’ t made her tell any of the difficult bits that might have involved other people to their hurt. What a wonderful woman she was and how wise. Sally went sailing along the corridor on winged feet and her heart was singing. Just wait until she told John and George what had happened. Then her feet slowed. If she told them wouldn ’ t she be undoing all that Matron had done and she might be the one person who would tarnish the reputation of St. Bride ’ s? Had Matron realized that and put her on her honor in a way?
Sally went very thoughtfully up the stairs. All her set who were on nights would be busy taking the report from the day staff and there was no one she could discuss it with ... not now. George would be up later. It wasn ’ t often that he didn ’ t drop in on his way around the hospital—“George ’ s progress” it had been affectionately dubbed by the night nurses, and Sally knew that he spent almost as much time on the wards as he did visiting her. But could she tell him or John or anyone beyond giving them a warning to be careful?
The theater superintendent was off duty and Sally was very glad.
Staff Nurse Smithers greeted her cheerfully. “Hello, Conway. Have a good sleep? All the drums have been packed ... at least all that can be ... no more linen left. If you could make some gauze dressings and stitch some mops, we ’ d be most grateful. And if you really have any spare time we could do with some new gloves ... sixes and eights ... if you ’ d powder them and leave them in their boxes. No rumors of any cases or—”
“—anything,” Sally offered.
But her bait brought nothing fresh.
“Just the usual. Theater Super ’ s been biting everyone but she does that most days now. Oh, you might like to know Gloria and Mike are holding their own, and there ’ s a piece in the daily paper—but perhaps you ’ ve seen it.”
“Not I. Someone had pinched it from the sitting room. What did it say?”
“Nothing much, just saying that Mike was the king of the ‘ ton ’ boys or whatever that means.”
“That ’ s the guys who do over a hundred miles on their bikes,” said a voice behind them.
Sally whirled round and then wished she hadn ’ t. A pair of light blue eyes were giving her a look that wasn ’ t quite as casual as ... last night.
“Good evening, sir,” she said with more calm than she was feeling.
“How was your bed? Did it feel as good as you thought it would?”
“Yes, sir, it did.”
Sally knew she was sounding stiff and stilted and it didn ’ t help to see Smithers trying to make a tactful withdrawal ... and she hadn ’ t a chance to ask her a very important question, and she couldn ’ t very well run after her...
John showed no signs of following Nurse Smithers ’ s example, and he settled himself comfortably on a corner of the table in the staff room.
Sally picked up the big roll of gauze and began to fold it into lengths.
John watched her for a moment. “Cat got your tongue—or am I upsetting the precious system again?”
Sally moved restlessly. “It isn ’ t that ... it ’ s because you ’ re too ... senior!”
Sally had to laugh. “You ’ re hopeless! It isn ’ t that I don ’ t want to talk to you ... and don ’ t you dare take that the wrong way! It ’ s that I ’ m on duty ... but when you ’ re up in the theater doing a case you ’ ve got an official reason for being here,
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