Part 7 (2/2)

”It ought to be tied up,” said the lodging-house keeper, holding her chisel upright in her hand. ”It's a bad cut to bleed like that.”

”We must tie it up,” said the freckled girl, and hesitated in front of Kipps. ”Have you got a handkerchief?” she said.

”I dunno 'ow I managed _not_ to bring one,” said Kipps. ”I---- Not 'aving a cold I suppose some'ow I didn't think----”

He checked a further flow of blood.

The girl with the freckles caught Miss Wals.h.i.+ngham's eye, and held it for a moment. Both glanced at Kipps' injury. The boy with the gift, who had reappeared with a chastened expression from some noisy pursuit beneath his desk, made the neglected motions of one who proffers shyly.

Miss Wals.h.i.+ngham under the spell of the freckled girl's eye produced a handkerchief. The voice of the maiden lady could be heard in the background. ”I've been through all the technical education ambulance cla.s.ses twice, and I know you go _so_ if it's a vein, and _so_ if it's an artery--at least you go _so_ for one and _so_ for the other, whichever it may be; but....”

”If you will give me your hand,” said the freckled girl, and proceeded with Miss Wals.h.i.+ngham's a.s.sistance to bandage Kipps in a most businesslike way. Yes, they actually bandaged Kipps. They pulled up his cuffs--happily they were not a very frayed pair--and held his wrist, and wrapped the soft handkerchief round it, and tightened the knot together.

And Miss Wals.h.i.+ngham's face, the face of that almost divine Over-human, came close to the face of Kipps.

”We're not hurting you, are we?” she said.

”Not a bit,” said Kipps, as he would have said if they had been sawing his arm off.

”We're not experts, you know,” said the freckled girl.

”I'm sure it's a dreadful cut,” said Miss Wals.h.i.+ngham.

”It ain't much reely,” said Kipps; ”and you're taking a lot of trouble.

I'm sorry I broke that window. I can't think what I could have been doing.”

”It isn't so much the cut at the time, it's the poisoning afterwards,”

came the voice of the maiden lady.

”Of course I'm quite willing to pay for the window,” panted Kipps opulently.

”We must make it just as tight as possible, to stop the bleeding,” said the freckled girl.

”I don't think it's much reely,” said Kipps. ”I'm awful sorry I broke that window, though.”

”Put your finger on the knot, dear,” said the freckled girl.

”Eh?” said Kipps; ”I mean----”

Both the young ladies became very intent on the knot, and Mr. Kipps was very red and very intent upon the two young ladies.

”Mortified, and had to be sawn off,” said the maiden lady.

”Sawn off?” said the lodging-house keeper.

”Sawn _right_ off,” said the maiden lady, and jabbed at her mangled design.

”_There_,” said the freckled girl, ”I think that ought to do. You're sure it's not too tight?”

”Not a bit,” said Kipps.

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