CHAPTER VII.
THE SHADOW FALLS.
"I s'pose the twinnies have grown ever so much, Father," she remarkedone evening when she was able to sit up in a big arm chair.
"Well, I have not seen Mother letting out any tucks or hems in theirdresses; but," and Mr. Selwyn's eyes danced, "I must admit that they aresomewhat better-looking."
Surely, the little bird _must_ have been at Maryvale that day, and Marythought it very strange that she had not caught a glimpse of it. She hadseen some sparrows, robins, and thrushes; but she was quite sure thatthe particular little bird of which Aunt Mandy had so often spoken wasdifferent from any of these. It certainly had very large ears to be ableto hear what she had _whispered_ to her aunt when they were sitting atsuch a distance from the window. She started at a thought which came toher.
"Father, have you ever seen the little bird that tells Aunt Mandy somany things? Do you think it can hear what a person is just _thinking_about?"
Mr. Selwyn coughed to hide a smile.
"No, dear, I have never seen that particular little bird; and no one butGod knows our thoughts unless we show them in our faces or actions."
"Please take me on your lap, Father, and tell me more about the babies.Has Beth any hair yet?"
"Only a little soft, yellow down; but Berta's is actually beginning toturn up at the ends in tiny, silky curls."
"Oh, she must look darling! Just forty-eight hours more--no,forty-seven, because it is exactly an hour since Uncle was here--and Ican see them both again."
"So Uncle Frank said at dinner. That reminds me--here is a note for youfrom Mother."
"Please read it to me, Father. I can't read writing very well, thoughMother tries to make hers plain. Besides, Uncle has asked me not to lookclosely at anything until my eyes are stronger. They have been so weakthat I had to ask Sister to keep the shades down. But she thought itwould be too bad to shut out the sunshine; so sometimes she bandaged myeyes and let the shades roll all the way up to the top.
"Then we played a game something like the little boy who was half-pastthree played with his grandmother, only ours was _Blind Man's Buff_. Ofcourse, I couldn't go catch Sister, but I tried to guess where she was;and when I guessed right, she was 'it.' Then I would _pretend_ that Iwas somewhere, and Sister had to guess. She had a much harder time thanI had, because I could pretend to be up the chimney or on top of thewardrobe or in ever so many places where I knew she couldn't be when _I_was 'it.' But please read Mother's letter. She has written to me everyday since I came up here," and the little girl snuggled close to herfather while he read the following:
My Darling,
Uncle has just told us the good news. It will not do you any harm now to know how much we have missed you. Aunt Mandy said to me to-day that she cannot understand how you always succeeded in putting the babies to sleep when she failed to do so; but I think I know the secret.
The babies are growing more cunning every day. Two or three days ago, Beth discovered that she has fingers; and this morning when I was dressing her, she kicked up one little foot and caught hold of her toes. Then I found Berta holding on to both ears. But I must not tell you all the surprises we have for you.
I have gone into your room very often. It makes me think of a pretty nest from which the little bird has flown. But the wings of my little bluebird are not strong enough to carry her very far away, so she is coming back to the nest again. I shall give Father a kiss and a hug to carry to my birdie away up in the treetop.
MOTHER.
"And here are a kiss--and a hug--to carry down to Mother; but before yougive them to her, you must walk around the block to let the wind blowthe measles off of you."
"There, there, dear, you must not exert yourself so much. You are notquite strong enough to give such bear hugs."
"Well, well, well! Not in bed yet? I was almost sure that I heard yousnore as I came upstairs."
"Uncle! I am going to ask Sister Julia if I snore when I am asleep."
"You certainly do not do so while you are awake. But perhaps it wasSnowball that I heard. She is asleep on the lowest step."
"Poor little Snowball! I do hope Debby is taking good care of her. Isshe very black, Uncle?"
"Who? Debby or the kitten?"
"Why, the kitten, of course. Debby is s'posed to be black, but Snowballis s'posed to be white."
"I see. Well, set your mind at rest, pet, for your kitten looks her nameto perfection, curled up as she now is. Indeed, for a moment I was onthe point of bringing her up here to wash your face and coax a littlecolor into it. Oh, another thing! I noticed that she has quite a jauntybow of ribbon on her neck. You would have the nightmare if I should tellyou what color it is."
"Every color looks pretty on Snowball. I think the ribbon must be pink,because Debby likes pink herself. No?" as the Doctor shook his head."Red, then. Debby likes red, too."
"I suppose I may as well tell you. It is _yellow_! A glorious, goldenyellow."
"How lovely! Yes, Uncle, I mean it. I think yellow is a beautifulcolor; but it wouldn't do for me to wear it, you know. Why, the sun andmoon and stars and Dick and ever so many of my favorite flowers areyellow, so you can't tease me about that color."
"I am a naughty old chap to tease you about anything. Come, Rob, it islong past her bedtime. It will be a case of
'You can't get 'em up, You can't get 'em up, You can't get 'em up in the morning,'"
sang the jolly man.
On the way down stairs he said, "As far as the measles are concerned,she could be with the family now; but she is weaker than I like to seeher, and the little excitement of being with the babies again would bemore than is good for her at present. So I have put her off another twodays. She will not try to exert herself as much with Sister Julia as shewould down stairs. She is getting along better, however, than Iexpected, for she has had a pretty severe attack; but I have everyreason now to hope that it will leave no bad effects."
"How about her eyes? is the sight in any danger?" was the father'sanxious question.
"Not now. The disease often affects the eyes; but Sister Julia has beenvery careful, and the danger is passed. We may all go to sleep to-nightwith light hearts."
Ah, how little the wisest of us know! How little we suspect what thenext hour may bring!
The tick-tock----tick-tock----of the big clock at the foot of the stairswas the only sound that broke the stillness of the night. Midnight cameand went.----One o'clock----two o'clock----a piercing scream rangthrough the silent house! The Doctor, whose room was nearest the stairs,was the first to reach the sick room. He found the little girl in thenurse's arms, imploring her to chase away the man with the terribleknife.
"He stuck it----into me----Uncle! 'Way, 'way into--my side! Oo! It'sthere yet!--Take it out, Uncle! _please_ take it out! Oh! oh! oh!"
"There, there, darling! No, no! there is no knife. It is only a baddream," soothed the nurse.
"But it hurts, Sister!----Oo, oo! Ouch!----every time----I breathe. Takeit _out_! Oh, Uncle----_please_ take it _out_!"
"There is absolutely nothing there, pet,--nothing! Sister is right. Youhave been lying in a cramped position which caused a pain in your sideand made you dream of the man with a knife. Lie down and let Sister rubthe place where you feel the pain."
But though the Doctor made light of the matter to the little girl, hissister and brother-in-law saw the anxiety written in every line of hisface. Sister Julia, too, looked worried as she tried to soothe themoaning child.
"M--Mother!"
"Yes, darling, yes!"
"It hurts so, Mother--oo!--oo! It shoots--right through me. I'm wideawake now, Mother, so--why doesn't it go--away? Oh, oh!"
"She has been restless all night, Doctor,"--Sister Julia had left thelittle girl to her mother's care for a moment--"so restless that Idisobeyed your orders about going to bed myself and remained beside herfor fear she would throw off the covering
and take cold. She has notbeen quiet long enough for the muscles to cramp----"
"I know, Sister, I know. I said that merely to quiet her. This is what Ihave feared all along. She is a frail mite, but I really thought thatwe had pulled her over the danger line. I hope it is nothing worse thanpleurisy. We shall try hot applications first. I shall be back in amoment."
Sister Julia busied herself heating water and making other preparations;and the Doctor soon returned with his "telephone," as Mary called theinstrument with which he had several times listened to her lungs.
"Now, dear, let me see whether I can find out just where the painis----"
"Oh, it is right here, Uncle! On both sides right where my handsare--you don't need to listen--and it shoots--through me and--comes outunder those bones--where the angels' wings grow."
"But we can do more to relieve the pain if I listen for a few minutes,pet."
The father and mother did not take their eyes off his face, which grewmore and more grave. By the time he had finished the examination, therewas little need for him to call the nurse to the bedside and motion theminto the hall.
"I shall be perfectly honest with you," he began, "for I know that youare prepared for the worst. I fear pneumonia, but hope that we havecaught the trouble in time. I can tell you nothing definite for somehours. The condition in which I find her now is the very one whichSister Julia and I have been guarding against; but I was so sure thatall danger was past that I told Sister, when I came home this evening,to change her program and, instead of going to rest at that time andleaving Mary to us, Rob, to go to bed as soon as she had tucked her infor the night. This she did not do, but remained at the bedside until wecame up, just as she has done every night from eleven o'clock on.
"With any other nurse, I might fear that some neglect had broughtmatters to this pass; but not with Sister Julia. She is a wonderfulnurse, and we are blessed to have her, especially now. I have never losta pneumonia patient when she was on the case. So we shall hope for thevery best."
But though the Doctor tried to speak cheerfully, a cold fear gripped thehearts of all.