Part 26 (2/2)
”Then you don't think she's going to be very sick?” asked Marion, eagerly.
”My dear child,” said the doctor, looking down at Marion, ”how can I tell until I've seen her? But good heavens! what's the matter with you?”
Marion had burst into a fit of laughter, and the doctor sat and looked at her in perfect amazement.
”What _is_ the matter, child? What are you laughing at?”
But Marion laughed and laughed; throwing her head down into her m.u.f.f as if to control herself, and then looking up at the doctor, and laughing harder than before.
”What's the matter with you, child?” cried the poor man, really growing uneasy. ”Have you gone crazy, or was the wine too much for you?”
”It isn't that, doctor, but you--you--”
”What in the devil's the matter with me, I should like to know!”
”You've--you've--got on your nightcap!” cried Marion, as well as she could speak.
The doctor dropped the reins, and put both hands to his head. Sure enough, in the hurry of dressing he had forgotten to take off the immense bandanna handkerchief he wore tied round his head every night; and over it he had put his cloth cap, which, fitting tight to his head, left the ends of the handkerchief sticking out each side like great horns, giving an indescribably funny appearance to the doctor's jolly round face.
Now Dr. Brown, although he always considered himself privileged to say and do anything he had a mind to, was excessively particular about his toilet, and to take a moonlight drive with a young lady, with his nightcap on, was quite contrary to his usual habits. However, it was altogether too ridiculous a situation to do anything but laugh, and the doctor could enjoy a joke even against himself.
”Laugh on, Marion; I don't blame you a bit,” he said. ”I must cut a pretty figure.”
”Just look at your shadow; then you'll see for yourself.”
The doctor looked over his shoulder. ”The devil!” he exclaimed. ”Why, I look just like him, don't I? Depend upon it, that's what it is; I've called upon his Satanic majesty so often, that now he's after me in good earnest. Well, old fellow, I'll deprive you of your horns at any rate;”
and the doctor brought the ends of the handkerchief down, and tucked them under his chin.
”Marion, don't let me go into the house with this thing on. I won't take it off now, as long as you've seen it, for it's very comfortable this cold night; but I shouldn't like to shock Miss Stiefbach's dignity by appearing before her in such a rig.”
”Miss Stiefbach is away,” replied Marion.
”You don't say so! And the cook sick abed too. Well, Miss Christine has her hands full.”
”And both the other servants are half sick, and Martin went with Miss Stiefbach.”
”And that accounts for your coming out on such a wild-goose chase.”
”I was chasing after you, sir,” answered Marion, mischievously.
”No insinuations, miss! There's the school-house; get up, Beauty; you're growing lazy.”
Marion found the door unlocked, and entering the house quietly, only stopping long enough for the doctor to divest himself of his fantastic head-dress, she led the way upstairs.
”How is she?” anxiously asked Marion of Miss Christine, who met them at the chamber-door.
”She is more quiet, but I am _very_ glad the doctor is here.”
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