however unscrupulously it was done. I admit that I couldn’t forgive it myself, but Steven must pull out for his own sake.”
“He may still be in love with her, you know,” insinuated Thelma gently.
Adam’s cold stare, his raised brows, told nothing of what he was thinking. But into the finality of his: “That would be unfortunate—but by now, I hope, somewhat unlikely,” Thelma read triumph for herself.
At first she had believed that he was attracted to Kathryn, then that he wanted to defend her. But his praise had only been of her work: he had still called her unscrupulous, and thought it unlikely that even Steven could have remained in love with her. The evening, for Thelma, had not been wasted, after all —
It was a week or two later that Kathryn, looking through the list of patients to be discharged, saw Roger Horrick’s name among them. She had not heard the result of Adam Brand’s interest in his mother’s future, and she made a point of seeing her when she came to take her little boy home.
But when she came into the office she stood disconsolately near the door, her restless fingers rolling the hem of her scarf. And before Kathryn had time to ask if she was pleased with the progress Roger had made, she asked rather pitifully: “Sister, they can’t force me, can they? I know I’m a widow without a man to stand up for me, but I don’t have to take orders, do I?”
Puzzled, Kathryn said gently: “I’m afraid I don’t understand, Mrs. Horrick. All I know is that Dr . Brand was going to ask you if you would like to work for him instead of your going on with your present night-work, and that he meant to ask the Social Worker to get in touch with you. What has happened, then?”
“Well, it wasn’t the Social Worker, Sister. It was a Miss Carter, a particular friend of the Doctor’s, she said, and she was asking me for him. Only she didn’t ask, you understand. She said that I’d got to go to work for the Doctor, and she wouldn’t take No for an answer, nor give me time to think it over or anything. I mean, I can’t afford to earn less than I do now, so that’s why I’m asking you.”
Thelma!—acting for Adam Brand as a ‘particular friend’ of his. Of course, she helped in the Social Worker’s office, but she must have taken on this mission directly from Adam—and ho w unspeakably badly she had done it! Kathryn felt that if she could not persuade the perplexed woman that Adam had issued no ‘orders’, and had acted only for Roger’s sake, the child’s future was in danger.
She stooped to plug in the electric kettle and took tea-things from her private cupboard. “I was just going to have some tea, Mrs . Horrick,” she said. “You’ll stay and have some too, won’t you?” And over their second cups she began to apply her healing argument.
“You know, Mrs . Horrick, Dr . Brand couldn’t possibly have wanted to give you orders about such a matter. But I do know that he was deeply concerned that you should be forced to leave Roger alone at night. And when he suggested to me that you might like to go to him instead, I though t it was a grand idea. I did hope that you would agree—for Roger’s sake.”
“I might have—if she—Miss Carter—had put it as you put it, Sister.”
Kathryn smiled. “Well, I happen to know that she and the Doctor are—very close friends so he probably left it to her to choose what to say to you. She wasn’t very tactful, I can see, but you really can’t blame Dr . Brand for that. I know he suggested it for Roger and to make things easier for you.”
“Well, they would be, if the place suited me. And you make it sound so different, as if the Doctor really did mean to ask me, not order me — ”
“Then will you try it, please ? I’m sure you can trust the Doctor to be generous, so will you tell him that you’ll try it? I’m expecting him on the ward at any minute, so you can see him in here before you take Roger home, if you
“He may still be in love with her, you know,” insinuated Thelma gently.
Adam’s cold stare, his raised brows, told nothing of what he was thinking. But into the finality of his: “That would be unfortunate—but by now, I hope, somewhat unlikely,” Thelma read triumph for herself.
At first she had believed that he was attracted to Kathryn, then that he wanted to defend her. But his praise had only been of her work: he had still called her unscrupulous, and thought it unlikely that even Steven could have remained in love with her. The evening, for Thelma, had not been wasted, after all —
It was a week or two later that Kathryn, looking through the list of patients to be discharged, saw Roger Horrick’s name among them. She had not heard the result of Adam Brand’s interest in his mother’s future, and she made a point of seeing her when she came to take her little boy home.
But when she came into the office she stood disconsolately near the door, her restless fingers rolling the hem of her scarf. And before Kathryn had time to ask if she was pleased with the progress Roger had made, she asked rather pitifully: “Sister, they can’t force me, can they? I know I’m a widow without a man to stand up for me, but I don’t have to take orders, do I?”
Puzzled, Kathryn said gently: “I’m afraid I don’t understand, Mrs. Horrick. All I know is that Dr . Brand was going to ask you if you would like to work for him instead of your going on with your present night-work, and that he meant to ask the Social Worker to get in touch with you. What has happened, then?”
“Well, it wasn’t the Social Worker, Sister. It was a Miss Carter, a particular friend of the Doctor’s, she said, and she was asking me for him. Only she didn’t ask, you understand. She said that I’d got to go to work for the Doctor, and she wouldn’t take No for an answer, nor give me time to think it over or anything. I mean, I can’t afford to earn less than I do now, so that’s why I’m asking you.”
Thelma!—acting for Adam Brand as a ‘particular friend’ of his. Of course, she helped in the Social Worker’s office, but she must have taken on this mission directly from Adam—and ho w unspeakably badly she had done it! Kathryn felt that if she could not persuade the perplexed woman that Adam had issued no ‘orders’, and had acted only for Roger’s sake, the child’s future was in danger.
She stooped to plug in the electric kettle and took tea-things from her private cupboard. “I was just going to have some tea, Mrs . Horrick,” she said. “You’ll stay and have some too, won’t you?” And over their second cups she began to apply her healing argument.
“You know, Mrs . Horrick, Dr . Brand couldn’t possibly have wanted to give you orders about such a matter. But I do know that he was deeply concerned that you should be forced to leave Roger alone at night. And when he suggested to me that you might like to go to him instead, I though t it was a grand idea. I did hope that you would agree—for Roger’s sake.”
“I might have—if she—Miss Carter—had put it as you put it, Sister.”
Kathryn smiled. “Well, I happen to know that she and the Doctor are—very close friends so he probably left it to her to choose what to say to you. She wasn’t very tactful, I can see, but you really can’t blame Dr . Brand for that. I know he suggested it for Roger and to make things easier for you.”
“Well, they would be, if the place suited me. And you make it sound so different, as if the Doctor really did mean to ask me, not order me — ”
“Then will you try it, please ? I’m sure you can trust the Doctor to be generous, so will you tell him that you’ll try it? I’m expecting him on the ward at any minute, so you can see him in here before you take Roger home, if you
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