Part 44 (1/2)

You must go out of this room and stay out.”

I stood up and faced him unflinchingly.

”I cannot, Dr. Pett.i.t,” I answered firmly. ”I must keep my promise.”

”Then I will get your release from that promise at once,” he said and strode toward the bed.

I watched him with terrified fascination. Had he gone suddenly mad?

What did he mean to do?

As Dr. Pett.i.t turned from Lillian and me, and strode toward the bed where the sick girl lay, apparently raving in delirium, I called out to him in horror.

”Oh, don't disturb that delirious, dying girl!”

I made an impetuous step forward to try to stop him when Lillian caught my arm and whirled me into a recess of the alcove.

”You unsuspecting little idiot,” she said, giving me a tender little shake that robbed the words of their harshness, ”can't you see that that girl is shamming?”

For a moment I could not comprehend what she meant; then the full truth burst upon me. If what Lillian said were true, if the girl was pretending delirium that she might utter words concerning d.i.c.ky's infatuation for her which would torture me, then it was more than probable, almost certain, in fact, that there was no word of truth in her pretended delirious mutterings.

d.i.c.ky was not faithless to me, as I had feared during the tortured moments in which I had listened to, the girl's ravings.

The joy of the sudden revelation almost unnerved me. I believe I would have swooned and fallen had not Lillian caught me.

”Listen,” she said in my ear, pinching my arm almost cruelly to arouse me, ”listen to what Dr. Pett.i.t is saying, and you'll see that I am right.”

My eyes followed hers to the bed where Dr. Pett.i.t stood gazing down upon the seemingly unconscious girl and speaking in measured, merciless fas.h.i.+on.

”This won't do, my girl,” he was saying, and his tone and manner of address seemed in some subtle fas.h.i.+on to strip all semblance of dignity from the girl and leave her simply a ”case” of the doctor's, of a type only too familiar to him.

”It _won't_ do,” he repeated. ”You are simply shamming this delirium, and you are lessening your chances for life every minute you persist in it. I'm sorry to be hard on you, but I'm going to give you an ultimatum right now. Either you will release Mrs. Graham from her promise at once and quit this nonsense, or I shall call an officer, report the truth of this occurrence, and you will be arrested not only upon a charge of attempted suicide, but of attempted murder.

”Of course, you will then be removed to the jail hospital, where I am afraid you may not enjoy the skilful care you are getting now. And, if you live, the after effects of these charges will be exceedingly unpleasant for you.”

My heart almost stopped beating as I listened to the physician's relentless words.

Suppose Dr. Pett.i.t was mistaken and the girl should be really delirious, after all. But just as I had reached the point of torturing doubt hardly to be borne, the girl stopped her delirious muttering, opened her eyes and looted steadily up at the physician.

”You devil,” she said, at last, with quiet malignity. ”You've called the turn. I throw up my hands.”

”I thought so.” This was the physician's only response. He stood quietly waiting while the girl gazed steadily, unwinkingly at him.

”Tell me,” she said at last, coolly, ”am I going to die?”

”I do not know,” the physician returned, as coolly. ”You have a slight temperature, and I am afraid infection has developed. But I can tell you that your performance of the last hour or two has not helped your chances any. You must be perfectly quiet and obedient, conserve every bit of strength if you wish to live.”

”How about that very chivalric threat you made just now,” the girl retorted, sneeringly. ”If I live, are you going to have me arrested for this thing?”