CHAPTER XII.
THOSE PRECIOUS LAST HOURS.
Sunday evening found the trunks packed and strapped. Except for a whilein the morning and afternoon, when Mary was resting, the whole familyspent the day in her room. Perhaps it would have been better for thechild if they had not done so; for the more she saw of her littlesisters, the harder it became for her to think of parting with them. Itseemed to her that the hours fairly flew, and as evening drew near, herpoor little heart grew heavier and heavier. But she bore up bravely--sobravely that her mother was more than surprised. Then bedtime came; andMrs. Selwyn herself, instead of the nurse, tucked the little girl in forthe night and sat by the bedside until she thought Mary was asleep.
An hour later, she tiptoed into the room. All was quiet; but as she bentto give the child a last good-night kiss and to smooth her pillow, shefound the little face wet with tears and the pillow soaked. WrappingMary in a blanket, she took her in her arms, and seating herself,rocked quietly for some time. The child's big wistful eyes never lefther face. At last the mother spoke.
"When Father told me, dear, that he must go away for a year and foundthat you must remain at home, he made a plan to which I would notlisten. He said that he would sail now, and that we should follow inJune. I could not bear to think of his being alone in a strange countrywith none of his own near him for six or seven months; but neither can Ibear to leave my little girl in such a state. I know that this is a verygreat trial for you, darling, and I fear that we are asking too much ofyou in your present weakness. So I think I had better place Father inour dear Lord's hands, and let him carry out his plan. Perhaps somethingwill happen so that he need not be away so long; but if by the first ofJune he cannot return, we shall go to him. So try to sleep now, mydarling. Mother will not leave you."
"But you must, you _must_, Mother!" whispered Mary. "We would just diethinking of Father and how lonely he would be and--and everything. Iwon't cry any more--truly, I won't. I shall go to sleep just as fast asI can. Is it very late, Mother?"
"No, dear, only half-past nine."
"Then will you stay with me until I go to sleep? It will be only alittle minute."
When Mary awoke the next morning, her father was sitting beside the bed,holding on his knee the very dearest doll she had ever seen. It was aslarge as a real baby, and its arms were stretched out to her. With a cryof delight, she stretched hers out, too, when--how it happened, Mary didnot know--the doll was crying and waving its arms and kicking just asthe twins did.
"Why--why--oh, the poor little thing! It must have the colic, Father."
Then something happened again, and dollie was once more smiling.
"Is it a live doll, Father?" whispered the little girl in wonder.
"No, pet. See this button at the back of its neck? Watch what happenswhen I push it."
"Oh, oh! _Now_, I know! Its head turns around inside its cap, and it hasa crying face instead of hair at the back of its head. Father, where_did_ you find such a darling doll?"
"I happened to see it Saturday on my way from the bank to the steamshipoffice. Mother had just telephoned me that our brave little daughterwould not think of letting her old daddy live among strangers----"
"But--but I _wasn't_ brave, Father," came the protest in a choked voice."Didn't Mother tell you how horrid I was?"
"No, dear; and I really cannot believe that you were horrid. I know thatyou must have felt just as I did when Uncle Frank said that you couldnot go with us. Sometimes on the spur of the moment, we say things thatwe do not really mean, and I am sure that is what you did. But here issomething that will interest you--a fine kodak. We shall take picturesof the babies every week, and mail them to you, and Uncle will get you anew album to paste them in."
Shortly after luncheon, Aunt Mandy brought the babies in for the lasttime. Mary hugged them and kissed their rosy little faces over and overagain as she whispered, "Take care of them, Aunt Mandy, oh, take care ofthem and of Father and Mother----"
"'Cose I will, honey chile! Why fo' yo' 'spects old mammy gwine 'long, Ilak to know?"
Then her father and mother came; and Mary, winking very fast andswallowing hard, clung to them not daring to speak, but just drinkingin every loving word which they uttered. They had hardly left the roomwhen the Doctor appeared. Mary clenched her hands and tried to smile athim.
"They have gone downstairs, have they? I shall be back very soon,Goldilocks." Then, touched by the utter loneliness of the little figurein the big chair, he added, "Just as soon as I put them into thecarriage. But you ought to be at a front window to wave to them. Willyou please bring some of those sofa cushions, Sister?"
"But--Uncle," said Mary as he hurried with her through the hall, "Ithought you were going to see them off."
"I did think of doing so, but I have changed my mind."
"No, Uncle, you must not stay just for me. Please go withthem--_please_! But come back soon."
"I shall be back by three o'clock, little one," and he was gone.
Bravely the little girl tried to smile as she pressed her face close tothe windowpane and threw a last kiss to her mother before she steppedinto the carriage. Her father and uncle, each holding a baby, made themwave and kiss their tiny hands to her, and then passed them in to Mrs.Selwyn and Aunt Mandy. Another moment, and the door closed after the twomen. Mary knelt on the sill with Sister Julia's strong arm to supporther, and strained her eyes for the very last glimpse of the handkerchieffluttering from the carriage window. Then she sank upon the cushions,her frail little form shaking with the sobs she could no longer control.
Just before three o'clock, the Doctor returned. In spite of his ownsadness, he had tried on his way home to remember the amusing thingswhich he had seen at the docks so that he would have something cheerfulto tell Mary. He made a special effort to whistle a lively tune as hemounted the stairs; but at the door of her room, it died on his lips.
"Why--why--" he was at the bedside in three strides.
"O Uncle! I thought you would _never_ come!"
"But, dear, I stayed only long enough to see the steamer underway, as Ithought you wished me to do. I did not even stop at my office on the wayhome. What is it? Are you in pain?"
"My head, Uncle."
The Doctor looked with questioning eyes at Sister Julia, who wasbathing the child's head. She nodded toward the hall and soon followedhim from the room.
"It is nothing more than I feared, Doctor. She has been under a greaterstrain for the past two days than anyone thought. I have seldom seensuch self-control in older people, and certainly did not look for it ina frail child like Mary."
"I knew that she was making an immense effort to keep up, and I fearedthe result; but this--have you taken her temperature, Sister?"
"Fifteen minutes ago, it was one hundred and two."
"Hm, I thought so. However, as a mere cold throws her into quite afever, I am not alarmed yet. I shall stay with her for awhile, and youhad better take a few hours rest. You will get very little of thatto-night."