Volume Ii Part 63 (1/2)
”I will take something presently,” Faith said with another of those childlike satisfied looks. They made Dr. Harrison very unlike himself, always. He stood so now.
”Doctor,” said Mrs. Derrick, in her odd, free, rather blunt and yet kindly way, ”you are a very good doctor, I dare say, but you're not much of a nurse. Now I am--and I'll find her something to eat,--you needn't be uneasy.”
He looked at her with one of the best smiles that ever came over his face; bright, free and kindly; then turned to Faith.
”What made your knight so cross with me?” he said as he bent over her to take her hand.
”I don't know--” said Faith. ”I am sure he had some good reason.”
”Reason to be cross!”--
”He didn't mean to be cross. You don't know Reuben Taylor.”
The doctor was inclined to be of a different opinion, for his brows knit as soon as he had closed her door.
”Now mother!” said Faith half raising herself,--”please let me have my basket. I am going to try one of those queer things. That is what I want.”
”Do you know what I want?” said Mrs. Derrick as she brought up the basket. ”Just to have Dr. Harrison find Mr. Linden here some day!”
Which severe sentence was so much softened down by the weight of the basket, that it sounded quite harmless.
Faith was too eager to get the cover off to pay present attention to this speech. There they were again! the red and yellow strange, beautiful, foreign-looking things which she was to eat; too handsome to disturb. But finally a red plump banana was cut from the stem, and Faith looked at it in her fingers, uncertain how to begin the attack.
Looking back to the little empty s.p.a.ce where it had been, Faith became ”ware” of an end of blue ribband beneath said s.p.a.ce. Down went the banana and down went Faith. The loop of ribband being pulled gently suggested that it was not able to contend with an unknown weight of bananas; but when Faith partly held these up, the ribband yielded to persuasion, and tugged after it into the daylight a tiny package--which being unwrapped revealed a tiny oval case; wherein lay, last of all, a delicate silver knife. Faith's face of overflowing delight it was good to see.
”O mother!--how just like him!--Mother!” exclaimed Faith,--”this is to eat those with!”
Could anything more be wanting to give bananas a flavour? They happened moreover to hit the fancy the doctor had been so anxious to suit. Faith liked her first one very much, and p.r.o.nounced it very nearly the best of all fruits. But being persuaded to try one, Mrs. Derrick avowed that she could not eat it and wondered how Faith could; declaring that in her judgment if a thing was sweet at all, it ought to be sweeter.
If Dr. Harrison could have seen the atmosphere of peace and delight his knit brows had left behind them!
As soon as he was gone, Reuben brought up the letters. And with suns.h.i.+ne all round her, Faith read them and went to sleep, which she did with the little case that held her knife clasped in her hand. Sleep claimed her while fever took its turn and pa.s.sed away for the day.
Faith woke up towards evening, weak and weary in body, unable to make much lively shew of the ”merry heart” which ”doeth good like a medicine”.
”My studies don't get on very fast at this rate, mother,” she remarked as she sat in the easy-chair at her tea, unable to hold her head up.
”This has been a hard day,” her mother said sadly as she looked at her.
”Faith, I won't let Dr. Harrison pay any more such long visits! he tires you to death.”
”It wasn't that. Mother--I think I'll have one of those things out of my basket--I wish Mr. Linden had told me what to call them.”
Mrs. Derrick brought the basket and looked on intently.
”When is he coming, child?” she said.
Faith did not certainly know. Under the influence of a plantain and the silver knife she revived a little.
”Mother--what made you wish Dr. Harrison might meet Mr. Linden here?”
”It would save him a world of trouble,” said Mrs. Derrick kindly. ”And besides, child, I'm tired seeing him buzz round you, myself. Faith, Mr.
Linden would say that _he_ ought to be told you're sick.”