IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) ^1 ^ < C' /. '^ U -% 1.0 1.25 |50 1^ 1^ 2.0 U I L6 Hiotographic Sciences Corporation 33 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716) 872-4503 m ?v N> CIHM Microfiche Series (l\1onographs) ICIVIH Collection de microfiches (monographies) Canadian Institute for Historical Microreproductions / Institut Canadian de microreproductions historiques AftO Technical and Bibliographic Notes / Notes tech The Institute has attempted to obtain the best original copy available for filming. Features of this copy which may be bibliographically unique, which may alter any of the images in the reproduction, or which may significantly change the usual method of filming, are checked below. D n Coloured covers/ Couverture de couleur Covers damaged/ Couverture endommag^ Covers restored and/or laminated/ Couverture restauree et/ou pelliculie n^: Cover title missing/ titre de couverture manque n n D Coloured maps/ Caites giographiques en couleur Coloured ink (i.e. other than blue or black)/ Encre de couleur (i.e. autre que bleue ou noire) Coloured plates and/or il'ustrations/ Planches et/ou illustrations en couleur Bound with other material/ Relie avec d'autres documents Tight binding may cause shadows or distortion along interior margin/ La reliure serree peut causer de I'ombre ou de la distorsion le long de la marge interieure Blank leaves added during restoration may appear within the text. Whenever possible, these have been omitted from filming/ II se peut que certaines pages blanches ajout^s lurs d'une restauration apparaissent dans le texte, mais, lorsque cela etait possible, ces pages n'ont pas ete filmees. D Additional comments./ Commentaires supplementaires: This Item is filmed at the reduction ratio checked below/ Ce document est filme au taux de reduction indique ci-dessous. 10X 14X 18X 22X IT 12X 16X 20X Bibliographic Notes / Notes techniques et bibliographiques L'Institut a microfilm^ le meilleur exemplaire qu'll lui a eti possible de se procurer. Les details de cet exemplaire qui sont peut-Atre uniques du point de vue bihiiographique, qui peuvent modifier une image reproduite, ou qui peuvent exiger une modification dans la methode normale de f ilmage sont indiqu^s ci-dessout. □ Coloured pages/ Pages de couleur □ Pages damaged/ Pages endommagtes □ Pages restored and/or laminated/ Pages restaurees et/ou pellicultes Pages discoloured, stained or foxed/ Pages decolorees, tacheties ou piquees □ Pages detached/ Pages detaches mpression HShowthrough/ Transparence □ Quality of print varies/ Qualite megale de I'imp □ Continuous pagination/ Pagination continue □ Includes index(es)/ Comprend un (des) index Title on header taken from:/ Le titre de Ten-tfite provient: □ Title page of issue/ Page de titre de la li □ Caption of issue/ Titre de depart de la n vraison livraison Masthead/ Generique (periodiques) de la livraison 22X 26 X 30X H 20X 24X H 28X 32 X The copy filmed here has been reproduced thanks to the generosity of: National Library of Canada The images appearing here are the best quality possible considering the condition and legibility of the original copy and in keeping with the filming contract specifications. Original copies in printed paper covers are filmed beginning with the front cover and ending on the last page with a printed or illustrated impres- sion, or the back cover when appropriate. All other original copies are filmed beginning on the first page with a printed or illustrated impres- sion, and ending on the last page with a printed or illustrated impression. The last recorded frame on each microfiche shall contain the symbol ^^ (meaning "CON- TINUED"), or the symbol V (meaning "END"), whichever applies. Maps, plates, charts, etc., may be filmed at different reduction ratios. Those too large to be entirely included in one exposure are filmed beginning in the upper left hand corner, left to right and top to bottom, as many frames as required. The following diagrams illustrate the method: 1 2 3 1 2 4 5 ced thanks Ida L'exemplaire filmd fut reproduit grfice it la gdn6ro8it6 de: Bibliothdque nationale du Canada quality legibility 1 the are filmed ing on id impres- te. All ig on the npres- a printed iche "CON- END"), Les images suivantes ont 6t6 reproduites avec le plus grand soin, compte tenu de la condition et de la nettet6 de l'exemplaire film6, et en conformity avec les conditions du contrat de filmage. Les exemplaires originaux dont la couverture en papier est imprimde sont fiimds en commenpant par le premier plat et en terminant soit par la dernidre page qui comporte une empreinte d'impression ou d'illustration, soit par le second plat, selon le cas. Tous les autres exemplaires originaux sont filmds en commenqant par la premidre page qui comporte une empreinte d'impression ou d'illustration et en terminant par la dernidre page qui comporte une telle empreinte. Un des symboles suivants apparaitra sur la dernidre image de cheque microfiche, selon le cas: le symbole — ^ signifie "A SUIVRE", le symbols V signifie "FIN". d at ge to be med left to s as Its the Les cartes, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent dtre film^s d des taux de reduction diff^rents. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour dtre reproduit en un seul cliche, il est fiimd d partir de Tangle supdrieur gauche, de gauche d droite, et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre d'images n6cessaire. Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la mdthode. 1 2 3 4 5 6 ^ (^O'^o \i} \ ^^A^ Zi:^ /7z-i>-/^^^z^^ /^n^zL-, // ^- /S96- ■» V -.- \ ' ^ 'I i^ i Ml: , f ,7 / i THE DOCTOR'S DOZEN. ^i 'Thank Heaven you are come, air."— Page 140. 1 I THE DOCTOR'S DOZEN. V.Y EVELYN EVERETT-GREEN ADTirori or •DORoniVH VOCATION." " T... HTRONOKH W.U." " „ KTC. HTO. K». ROMAINK'h IIOUSWJOLD " i fRovonto t ROSE PLTBLLSHINO CO. (Ltd.) THE DOUTOR'S DOZEN. CHAPTER I. |T was indeed a terrible sight. Many persons had prophesied that some day there would be a shocking accident just at that spot where the sharp double curve of the line occurred between the great aqueduct and Tolston. And now their prediction had come true. The down train striving to make up some time lost earlier on its journey, had taken those sharp curves at too hicrh a speed. The engine had left the lines, and hid got right across the up metals, just at the moment when the up express dashed round the bend and charging full into the domi train, literally cut it in half, and became mixed up in the wreck it had occasioned. One engine having broken loose, had rolled down the steep embankment, draggin- one 6 \ THE DOCTOll's DOZEN. oi Dotli trams were wrecked taken place very near to the town of Tokton up close toMe c ne'of *!? '^""'""'^ *''™^ - tr.n aescen/erai:! rr ;Ct r power than bell tL TV'""*'* '°' the iaw and ttf ' . .^''^P'^«''"'rfy square set of tne jaw and the fashion in which the lips clos«I over each other indicated resolution and 'term I oy the dark bushy brows, from under which thn wel-opened dark eyes looked keenly forth ntnf Telt:o7^t^r''™'"''°'*-'^-^^^^ "% boy, I have been looking for you T thought n possible the news mighf havoCIohed c-j i. THE DOLTOll's DOZIiN. A L you, and that one of you would soon be here. Your father and mother have both been taken to the farmhouse close by. Follow me, and I will show you the way." Mechanically Dax took the hand extended to him. His interlocutor was a surgeon from Tolston well known to the Inglehurst family. He followed him without daring to look into his face, but when they had made half a dozen strides forward he said : " You had better tell me." "Your father is alive," was the significant answer ; "you must bear up for his sake, my lad. He was hoping one of you would come ; but was not confident that the news would reach you in time." "It has not reached home or some of the others would be here," said Dax, speaking as one m a dream. "I had walked over to Klettering Junction to meet them. They had to change carriages there, and a change always bothered my father. He had a way of insisting on getting into the wrong train. At Klettering I heard— this train was just starting. I came on in it. At liomo they know notliing." They were now nearing the farmhouse which stood almost close to the line. The friendly surgeon laid a hand upon Dax's arm. 8 THE DOCTOK's dozen. '!« " You must be prepared for the worn, my boy " ^.a,d , and Dax gave him one startled look,7„d idle "^ "'""'« •""J""' --to see his Some shocks are too severe to leave room for outward e.pressio„_so severe that they pr^ducl a numbness which is like calmness whilsf ft Tal I)« had been trembling from head to foot before : now he suddenly became perfectly steady and tranqud. Ho followed his conductor into a sm^ll m blankets, upon a settle beside the fire It needed no doctor's eye to see that death was ™tten on that still face. Dax moved forward and^ben^ over the prostrate figure. ..father' wh^face" ''" ""'"""' " ^""^ '■^■"^'^ «"« me" ^1^ """^ ' ^r ""' "^ "y «■>"*» ^'h me. Are you alone, Dax ? " •; Yes, father. I am the only one that knows." My son, I am leaving you to fight the battle of he alone. My heart would bleed for you v. It may be a drag and a to ter upon you for the best years of your lives. Vet It ,s God who sends these trials upon us, and the sweet t.os of kindred, and wo know He will not try us beyond our strength. Dax, you have perhaps the strongest character in the hot,se Use It, my boy, upon the right side. It will be a bles.,mg to you if used aright. If misused it may become a terrible curse. Be a good brother It home. Watch over Frank. Let him be you specal charge. He is reaching the age when he most needs a fathers— a mothers care " His voice dio,l away in silence. !),« pressed "s hand ,n token of .assent, but he conld onlv J-ame las hps to the utterance of one woni, and that word was " Mother." " She did not sufter, my boy. Thank Uod lor If 3 THE DOUTOll's J)()ZEN. ] j that. For her it was over in a moment of time And she does not go alone— she is but hoverin- around, waiting for me to join her. God is very good to us. ' In their death they were not divided. " Those were the hist words spoken by Dr Inglehurst. A sudden vivid smile lit up his face and Dax sank to his knees beside the couch. He did not know the exact moment ; but presently a hand was laid upon his arm, and he found him- self raised to his feet. " My dear lad, you can do no more here You must go home to break the news to your brothers and sisters. A train is just starting for Kletterin<. and Fossbury. You must go home in that. I will see to everything here." Dax looked with dim eyes at the speaker. " Can I do nothing ? May I not see her ? " " Better not, my boy. You have been through enough as it is. You can be of no use to any here-your place now is at home. God bless you my poor lad ! I will be with you in the mornino' and that will be time enough to settle all tliat is ncedhil." Dax turned away with a shudder and a muttered word of thanks, and entered the train just starting back for his native town of Foss- bury. 12 THE DOCTOK's dozen. I 1 efforts at rulinc. th. n • "^ '^^^"^ ^^^'^ capable hands of the mother ? ^ ^Mth the except on of Dav ^vK. i i ' Dr. Inglehurst counted himselF « l.o^ 'hat the. had been so fa:rtaH,;~ bode. It id was a lildren it ihan Dr. 'ury, and pleasant 5 kindly flow as ?ht and 'indows. I was to Bveninff ho had was it almost of the : their d, and d and in the e the lat is, the m in F his THE doctor's dozkn. 13 family. Even the throe sons who had commenced .te on their own account were still housed beneath the paternal roof The only trouble ho had had as yet with his boys was that none of them took to medicme, or were prepared to succeed him in his practice, Edmund and Oswald, the twin brothers of four- and-twenty, who stood at the head of the dozen were both started in life-Edmund in Mr Grey- sart's commercial house, where a partnership was some day to be his, and Oswald as a clergyman now working as curate in his native town Tlien came Nancy the mother's own right hand, a bright-faced, homely maiden of twenty-two ' Dax was next in years-a clever youth employed by a firm of electrical engineers, who were said to think very well of his abihties ; and then came Damaris a daughter who had lived much away from home' taking care of a semi-invalided uiunt, who had recently gone out to a son in Australia for the benefit of her health, releasing the girl to return home as a permanent member of the household Ella, the beauty of the family, came next, a girl with more talents than her other sisters, passion- ately fond of art. as might almost be guessed by the damty picturesqueness of her attire as she sat bending over some fine embroidery in coloured B^Iks. Frank was lo^Ung upon a sofa, softly 14 THE DOCTOU'.S I)0Z1:X. "'orvuls ,„t„ .„„,el,o. of o„„ic .„„„; " ' "' passing fr„„> the p Ly to thf' ," """ J"^' Jovo.„,™o„, being XL „.rt:r^' "°'",°' we.e hi<,„o„ „™y behind he ttainsTr":''' wmdo.. hoping that thoy would To the ttt^ hear the sound of wheels, and to rush to th to welcome the parents ho„e, A I tl ' tl" bab,es. as they were still called, who c ' eTd he do.en. they were sitting at Frank's fT .noKtrioablo ™ass of plun>p'arms a^d ,e J tweh been linked together as R i;^^ ^a^U hal scarcely occurred to the brotll and ill that "iritir" "---"■- -n S " They must have lost the tmin " n savino- i^^i • ^> ■L'amans was saying looking up at the clock which had iZ chimed seven " Wi,af .i, n . J"^^ Nancv 7 ITu ^""^ ""^ '^« «^°"t dinner, J>Jancy ? Shall we see if cook can keep it back ? " TnE DOCTOU'S DOZEN. 15 " I tliink wo will. Tho next train will bo in l>olbro ei-l.t„ and it would bo such a disappoint- ment to tho littl.) ones not to sit up for h, as wo promised them." " We won't dine without them if we can help It," said Edmund. " I was afraid they might not catch the train. Those cross country journeys are so tiresome, and f\ither is not very'deyer with trains, and always thinks ho knows bettor than mother." "Roly-Poly must go to bed," said Frank settling his eye-glasses on his nose-he was the only short-sighted Inglehurst-and glarin- with a portentous face at the adoring pair at hi feet and then he struck a few chords on his banjo and broke into son^ — " Wliat will Roly-Poly say, In their bed at break of day ? O, please, mamma, we can't get up yet we were so late to bed, So late to bed, so late to bed, You must please let us sleep all the day instead," gabbling off the last and amended lines at a «reat rate, and ogling the twins in a fashion which 'sent them otf into fits of giggling laughter, although at first their faces had been puckered into doleful gravity. Frank's thioats were not, however, of a very IG THE DOCTORS DOZEN. serious character generally, and tliough Nancy said something in a low tone about its being dread- fully late for them to bo u[), and hardly knowing how mother would like it, I)i glanced up from her book to remark that it was only for once, and that it would be a shame they should go without seeing mamma and papa when it had been pro- mised ; and Damaris, whose opinion was a good deal deferred to by her elder sister, likewise thought that for once the indulgence would do no harm. But waitin^- was telling upon the different members of the family, and there was a dis- position to put books and work away, and idle about the room in desultory fashion. Di declared her lessons quite perfect now, and shut up her book, declining Frank's generous offer to put her through her tasks backwards way to make sure she knew them really properly. Kit and Chriss had slipped out into the hall nd were having jumping matclies down the stair'^.t ^ vt;ilst Frank had laid aside his banjo, autl was strumming softly on the piano, changing his tune from, " Willy, we have missed you," to " We won't go home till morning," and when Ella declared it vulgar, he returned that it was the most appro- priate ditty to the present occasion that occurred to hiia at the moment. li Nancy ng (Iroad- knowing froni her once, and J without been pro- 3 a good likewise lid do no different IS a dis- and idle i declared t up her put her take sure nd Chriss e having 1st Frank drumming from, "O won't go 3clared it »st appro- occurred THE doctor's dozen. 17 _ Altogether there was sufficient noiso and hubbub in the house to drown outside sounds to a great extent. Wheels driving up to the door would have been heard, but the slow and dragging foot- stops of a solitary pedestrian passed quite unhee led, and the first notification those within received of an arrival was the sound of a latch-key inserted into the door. There was a general starting up. "That must be Dax or father! Why didn't they drive up ? Has he come alone ? Has he missed them ? dear. I hope there has been no muddle. Out into the hall in a body pressed the whole of the eager family. Frank and Roly-Poly bringing? up the rear. Everybody was speaking at once to ask for some explanation as Dax slowly came in alone But the moment that he crossed the hreshold and the light fell upon his face the tumult was succeeded by a dead silence, so terrible that the twins behind set up a frightened cry. they knew not why. ''^ " Dax is ill," said Damaris quickly. "Edmund. Oswald, help him." The brothers sprang forward, for Dax had staggc:ed as if about to fall. His face was as colourless as marble, with a drawn n^hen look which was terrible to see. But he ro. .ered him- 18 THE doctor's dozen. self quickly, and only laid a hand upon Oswald's arm, gripping it tightly as he said : " Send the children away. I cannot bear them all. Let me go somewhere out of all this glare and noise." Was he ill, or was he the bearer of terrible news ? They did not Icnow— feared even to ask. He turned aside into the little study, their father's special sanctum, and dropped into a chair, cover- ing his eyes with his hand. The elder ones followed him, all faces growing pale, aU hearts beating in wild anxiety. Di and Frank remained outside the closed door, restraining the frightened crying of the children, and hushing their incoherent questions. Within the room all was dead silence for a moment, the only sound being the deep breathing of Dax, who was fighting fiercely with his emotion, angry with himself for giving way before the news was told. Oswald was the first tc guess. " It was a railway accident," he said, rather as an assertion than a question. "Dax, can't you tell us something more ? " " Their train was cut in half," he answered, " it was just beyond the aqueduct — where father always said ." A sharp cry broke from Ella. She covered her face with her hands. THE doctor's dozen. 19 " It was their train ; they were in it. Oh, Dax, tell us more," Damaris was supporting Dax's head, as she stood oeside him. She was white to the lips but perfectly calm. " Which of them was it, Dax ? " she whispered bendmg over him. « Try and say " " Both." A start went round the Avhole group. Damaris was the only one who could command her voice. " Not dead. Not both dead ? " " Yes, both dead. Mother was killed on the spot. I was in time to see father die." And then Damaris felt that Dax lay against her as a dead-weight. The long strain had done its work at .St, and a merciful unconsciousness had blotted out for him the memory of the fearful scene upon which his eyes had looked that day. The brothers carried him to his room, hardly i-eahsmg that this thing could be true, and that they were henceforth orphaned. CHAPTER II. HE funeral Avas over. Once more the blinds were up in that solid red-brick mansion. Notes of inquiry and con- dolence ceased to pour in in quite such a ceaseless stream. All Fossbury was grieving for the loss of one of its most influential and popular members, and great Avas the interest taken in the bereaved iiunily and their outlook in life. What Avould they do ? What would become of them? Such were the questions upon every tongue. A man Avith a dozen children, taken away in tlie prime of his life, could scarcely have made much provision for his family Would they have to scatter and be distributed amongst the various charitable asylums, built and endowed for the benefit of young creatures in like case ? Or would tlie private means left them, together with the help of the three elder brothers', suffice to keep a home over their heads ? And what would become of tlio practice ? Wliat a pity that there 20 I 1 THE doctor's dozen. 21 was no son able to carry it on in the old name. If without the walls of the home all this interest m the matter was taken, it may well be ima-ined that within the doors of that house these burnin- questions were discussed between the brothers and sisters with even keener attention. The kindly family lawyer was closeted long hours Avith the brothers, whilst the sisters waited with what patience they might for the result of the confer- ences ; and they, on their own account, paid many mysterious visits to various places in the town, and held their peace about these same visits, as the brothers continued yet silent upon the questions which engrossed their energies. But a day came at length when the sisters were summoned to the study to be enlightened a^ to the question of ways and means and the pros- pects of the family. Nancy, Damaris, and Ella were called, and when Francis presented himself he Avas not denied entrance. Frank, although he was sixteen years old, had hitherto consorted more with the younger half of the family, to which Di unmis- takably belonged. But he was considered of an age to be permitted to assist at the family council • and so there Avere seven out of the dozen who were assembled round the table to hear what their luture was to be. 22 r i V^ THE doctor's dozen. ^ "Girls," said Edmund, who was tacitly ron- sidered to be the head of the family from the more lucrative position that he held, and from the uncertainty of Oswald's stay beneath the old roof, "I think that you will side Avith us brothers in the wish to keep the home, as far as possible, unbroken, and to make sacrifices rather than be separated one from the other." The eager murmur of assent was answer suf- ficient. Dax had written out all that he could remember of the dying words addressed to him, and they were branded upon his memory as in char- acters of fire. So it seemed to the whole family as ■ though a sacred charge had been laid upon them to stand by the home and one another to the last. "It wiU not be easy," said Edmund, "and in some ways things will fall most heavily upon you girls. Our father was making two thousand a-year by his practice. You can guess what a loss that will be to the household when it ceases altogether." "But cannot the practice be sold?" asked Damaris. "We are in treaty for that. No doubt you have heard father speak of a certain Mr. Leland, a young doctor in London ? " " Oh, yes," answered Nancy, quickly. "He used to say that if ever he wanted a partner, he should try and get him. He thought so well of his talents." "Exactly. Well, it seems it had even gone THE doctor's dozen. 23 «.i further than that, and that a few months ago, when this follow took his M.D., father began negotiating with him about a partnership, and it had been arranged for him to pay a thousand down and have a third of the profits, and as much of the work as they mutually arranged. Mr. Watson has been in treaty with him since, and it is now arranged that he pays three thousand, and has the whole practice, if our townsfolk will receive him, as they have promised to do, hearing that Dr. Leland was well thought of by our father. Then there is the insur- ance money, and some investments father had made with his savings, and something settled on mother and on us after her. And in the end we shall have about six hundred a-year to live upon, when Edmund and Dax have contributed fifty pounds a-year to the expenses of the household, and I, who have more, a hundred. The house, as you know, is our own. The question remains, can we go on living in it, and paying the heavy rates and taxes, and educate all the Httle ones, on six hundred a-year ? Or must we try to let or sell it, and go into a smalle" place ourselves ? " "Oh, do let us try to live here!" cried the sisters, in a breath. And then Nancy and the rest got paper and pencil, and tried to calculate the items of expendi- ture, and find out how far six hundred would go. * 24 THE DOOTOIi's DOZEN. We Imyo made dozens of calolations before " smd Oswald, gravely. " One never realised befo.^ what innumerable expenses there were k a larire hou.se. Of com« the horses and stable expenses .wU be cut straight otC We shall live very quietly, and keep no company. But we must allow fifty pounds, for rates, taxes, and repairs; we must t,-y and give something, poor as we shall be ; and we must equally try to save something against the ramy day that so often comes upon poor people Then there are mne of you to clothe-Edmund, Dax and I have still enough of our salary left to educate. There are servants' wages to pay ■ and some sort of premium must be found for Frlncis when he eaves school, before he can be put out .n the world with a chance of gaining his Jiving In pomt of fact it comes to this. Nancy. The house-keeping expenses must be kept down to four hundred a-year-a hundred pounds a quarter-and that must include payments for coal and all the tradesmen s books, and inside repairs, breakages wages and a hundred small things which will inevi-' tablybe cropping up. Can it be done? Canyouform any idea? Because, if it cannot, we muft move into smaJler quarters so soon as as we can let or sell his house ; and we may as well make up our nunds to .t soon as late. I know it would go I i THE doctor's dozkn. 25 against us all, but we must face the question calmly and bravely." Here Francis looked up to remark : " You can knock me off the list of those who need to be clothed from the common fund. Old- Hop-o'-my-thumb has given me a stool in his bank. I'm to begin next Monday, and have twenty-five pounds a-year. I guess I can keep a decent coat to my back for that." " Frank ! "' cried a chorus of voices in astonish- ment and almost dismay. "A stool in Hopper's bank ? It can't be true ? " "Ain't it, though! You just wait and see. If you'll step in on Monday, ladies and gentle- men, to cash a cheque, or do a little business, you '11 see me there in all my glory." " But Frankie, you hate desk- work. You said you 'd never be a quill-driver at any price. You know you are worth a better place than that can ever be,'^ cried Ella, in distress. " Your music— your music ! What will become of that ? " "Why, that's just the best of it! A bank- clerk has such jolly short hours— only nine till four. I shall have all my evenings to myself, and Saturday afternoons too. I'll get an organist's post somewhere in a jiffy, you '11 see. Guess I '11 be a swell in some capacity as soon as any of the rest of the fellows— if it 's only a Mohawk Minstrel ■ffi I i f \ n 20 THE doctor's dozen. You shut up, you young Miss. I 'm a man of independent means. I 'm not going to be lectured by my sisters not never no more ! " Edmund looked searchingly into the boy's face which had put on its comical look as Frank ad- justed his eye-glasses upon his nose, and stared at his sister. He laid his hand upon the lad's shoulder " My dear old chap, why didn't you ask me about this first ? " "Oh, I knew you'd be dead against it— say I was throwing myself away, and a lot more such stuff, and I was just certain you 'd not believe anybody would take a youngster like myself and give him any pay. So I just started off to see old Hop-o'-my-thumb myself, and went into the business on my own account ; and I 'm to have five-and-twenty for two years for anything I may be able to do ; and then it I want to go on, at eighteen I shall be entered like the other young clerks, and have what they have. But I 'm to be welcome to look out for something better for myself meantime, and I needn't stick too close to my desk if I want to be learning any other pro- fession. But of course I shall keep my hours. I'm not going to let it be just a kindly way of putting money in my pocket for nothing, because old Hop-o'-my-thumb and father were such friends. He shall have his money's worth out of me, and Ml man of lectured •y's face, ank ad- tared at boulder, ask me -say I '6 such believe lelf and see old to the have 1 may on, at young 1 to be :er for lose to r pro- hours, i^ay of 3caus0 'lends, 3, and "Eiiiuund looked searcljingly into the boys face. 27 —Piujc 20. TIIK DOCTOll's DOZEN. 29 I dare say I '11 like the work as much as most fellows like their grind." Meantime, Nancy and Damaris, with their heads together, and their -nothers' account-books for reference, were making elaborate calculations, and were finding, to their dismay, what a number of items a housekeeper's book contained, in addition to the obvious accounts of butcher, baker, and grocer. Nancy had been her mother's right hand and assistant for the past two years, and Damaris had kept house for her invalid aunt, so that they were not novices in the matter; but they had never before had to consider the subject of pounds, shillings, and pence, and housekeeping presents few difficulties when there is always an amply filled purse out of which to pay all the bills. " We shall have to do with very few servants, and those young ones who will not want heavy wages. Dear old nurse has begged to be allowed to stop on at the same wage as we should have to give for a good nursery maid for the little ones. I don't know if we must let her suffer in pocket, but have her we must to keep order downstairs,* and help us to train the young maids. Cook must go. She knows it herself, though she is very sorry. Boys, you will have to give up late dinner when you come home, and have only a dish of meat for your tea. I hope you won't mind very no THK doctor's dozen. much. Wo will try that yon .sl„.ll „„t ,„„■„ „„, ro!r7nK '"""■" "°™"«""™"-""'' y".- r on,., shall boas well ko,,t,« when „ol,„,l,,k„ty ofsorvants I alway.s ,liut it was ould come e cheerful, J pressure lost intol- ;he Iiouse solved in warm tie :tempt to ended in 3 element I by the ^ow, and thought interest ■hed that )een im- 3t of his ne upon Javily in was in a •e. Air. general id been he part ^ 1 of this young man to fall in love with his pretty daughter, Bertha, he looked with complacency upon the incipient courtship. Indeed, matters had gone so far that he had told Dr. Inglehurst that if the lad at some future time could bring a few thousands of capital to put into the business, he should be made a partner, and be welcomed as a son-in-law. Edmund had lately been told by his father of this, and the doctor had resolved to make the effort to give his eldest son this most exceUent openmg. Edmund had looked upon himself as practically a made man, when in one short hour all his bright hopes were dashed to the ground. His father's sudden death had thro^vn upon him the headship of a family of eleven brothers and sisters, some amongst them being quite children, He would never be able to bring any capital to the business— aU that his father had left was to be placed in trust investments for the use of the whole famUy— and he would not be in a position, to marry for ten or twelve years to come at least. From the first he had looked his 0W.1 future steadily in the face, and had spoken out m a manly way to Mr. Greysart, renouncing all hope of being more to him than a paid servant, and by implication giving up all hope of winning Bertha. Mr. Grej^sart had been kind and sym- pathetic, but he was a man of business and a man 40 • i ' . THE doctor's dozen. Ml of the world. Ho saw tlmt it would bo out of the question for a young fellow situated like Edmund Inglehurst to dream of marriage : and he was very glad that his pretty and warm- hearted daughter happened to be safely out of the way at this juncture, visiting some cousins of hers m America. He dispatched a private request to those relatives to keep her over the water for a considerable time. He hoped that, knowing her lover to be hopelessly tied by the claims of his family, and finding herself courted and admired wherever she went, she would forget the liking she had once shown for the doctor's son-it had not gone as far as an engagement, scarcely even so far as a mutual understanding— and would find another suitor equally to her liking, who would console her for the loss she had sustained. Oswald, too, had his own trials to encounter He had been accustomed to receive an allowance from his liberal father, in addition to his stipend as curate at St. Margaret's, which was by no means large, and this money had been spent almost entirely upon the needs of the poor amongst whom he laboured in the lowest part of the town. Per- haps there is nothing more trying and heart-rendin- than to be forced to give up assisting those who have grown used to looking to one for ready help in days of need. Possibly Oswald, with fhe \ Tllli doctor's dozen. 41 bo out of ated like age : and id vvarm- lut of the IS of hers aquest to ter for a wing her IS of his admired le hking —it had ^ even so uld find o would counter, 'lowance stipend means almost t whom . Per- rending )se wlio iy help th the inexperience of youth and with the warm-hearted- Dess which the Inglehursts had inherited from their father, had been something overlavish in his givings, but certainly he now felt the difference most painfully and keenly. Ho was almost ashamed of the good coat he still wore upon his back, and would frequently come in late for the early dinner, so that he might secrete the contents of the plate of meat set aside for himself, and take it to a sick person, contenting himself with a crust of broad and drink of water, or even fasting the whole day. There were difficulties and some friction, too, in the matter of the giving over of the practice. Dr. Leland appeared to the Inglehursts to be hard and grasping, although their lawyer told ■ them that he had behaved far better than the majority of young men would have done in such circum- stances ; for if he had chosen to come and settle in the place without paying a penny for the good- will of the practice he might have done so. and no one could have hindered him. It was a manoeuvre frequently and successfully accomplished in these days, and Dr. Leland would most likely have made his way almost as well as he was doing now. The Inglehursts were chafed at his expecting the use of the surgery premises at the bottom of the garden which their father had built, and they also thought . ' , 42 THE DOCTOll's DOZEN. that the offer 1,0 ma.Io for tl.c wl.olo of tho stablo properties was absiinllv low Ti,„ i„ , „„,,,,„, "I'j low, 1 ho lawyer pointed out tl a so young a man .li,l not really roq,i;ro umself up ,n « ,,.,3, ,,„ ,,<„,,^, „^ ^^ the secoml-hand carriages and harness a'd wel^ worked horses >( his pruleoessor. Tho fari' g.-e way for the new doctor was willing to 1^ on the old eoachmnn if he took the wli'ole equip^ ment over; but there was a feeling that the lew- comor was hard and grasping, whilst the rcnor s jrcnlated about him in tho town were th although he appeared very clever and inspired ufidence wherever he went, he was sarcastic' and quick m his ways, and utterly unlike his pre- decessor, who was openly lamented on all hands However, the Inglehursts agreed that they must make the acquaintance of the ne.-eomer some lay. Oswald had seen him onee or twice, and had exchanged words with him over some sick bed in to back alleys. And he was commissioned ask him in some evening to the family tea though Uax and Frank made a wry feco a't tie' thought setting any stranger down to the com- posite meal which graced tho board on their return irom business night by ni"-ht. Nancy, however, promised that on the day the THK doctor's dozen. tho Stable er pointed lly require burst, and d have set prefer to and well- lio family f to keep 3le equip" thc new- e reports 3re that, inspired astic and his pre- hands. ley must er some ice, and me sick lissioned lily tea, at tlie le com- f return iay the 48 guest came the children should have a separate table, and that she and iJamaris wor.ld take care the cooking did not disgrace tlie household ; so there the matter dropped for the present, and as any time is no time, it seemed as if tho sisters might never set eyes upon their father's successor. Nobody had much leisure to think of these things. What with household tasks, needle-work, and what not, the hours and the days Hew by on wings. But Nancy's face began to look worn and harassed at times, and she felt as though tho cliildren had never had such large appetites, or been so destructive of their clothes and boots, as when every shilling that had to be spent in repairs came out of that meagrely furnished household purse of hers. Of course Damaris- was taken into her confidence, and as the first quarter drew near its close, and the hundred pounds had already all but melted away before the last monthly books were settled, Damaris looked up from the account book over which they were poring and said decisively : " It is very plain that I must begin my work. I shall speak to Dr. Medlicot to-day and tell him 1 am ready." That same evening just before dusk she got out from their drawer tho plain black dress and the white cap and apron thai she had worn iii the u i ! 'nii.; iJocTou's dozen. hosp.tal. an.l armyed herself in them before the ml;n,r.ng eyes of Chriss and Kit and the infantile twins, who all daneed and shrieked aloud with adnnration and amusement. The cap was a very pretty and becoming one, and the whole dress suited Damaris well. The little ones begged her to go down and show herself to the boys, who had ately come m, and though she was not very cor- tain how the exhibition would be received, sL let herself be led down-stairs, and made her impressive entrance to the dusky drawing-room. "Any orders for the nurse, ladies and gentle- men? she asked, making a sweeping and indis- crimmate curtsey. The children went off into a shout of laughter, but, from the dead silence which fell upon the rest of the room, Damaris felt sure somethmg unexpected had happened, and the entrance of the maid with the lamp next moment explained the situation at a glance. The hot Avas that Cswald, with man-like dis- regard of warnings, had brought Dr. Leland to the house on the spur of the moment, forgetting that the day of his visit was to be arranged before- hand and provided for accordingly. Nancy was |a)sent froH. the roon., no doubt supplementing he fanuly tea by sorr^e extra dish, but the rest of the party was assembled, and the stranger in their -~c-. v-j ms ii;i;o on Decommg 1 THE nOCTOU's DOZKN. 45 boforo tlio lio infiintilo aloud with was a very diolo dress jogged her s, who had t very cor- ed, she let inii)ressivo id gentlc- ind indis- off into a nee which felt sure and the t moment -like dis- id to the ting that 1 before- mcy was iinentinar rest of in their ecoiuinL'' o as aware tliat ho was in presence of anotlicr daughter of the house, and he and Daniaris appeared tho only sell'-i)()ssessed ineinbers of the party as they shook hands on introduction. Dr. Iceland was a tall man, slight and spare, with regular features, and very penetrating bright eyes. He was dressed with extreme precision, though wthout a shade of foppery. His hands Avere white, with long, strong fingers, which looked well suited to any work that required a combination of streno-th and dexterity. His face betrayed no surprise at finding one of the Miss Inglehursts arrayed in such a garb. Damaris qui(.iiy removed cap and apron, and gave them to little Chriss to carry away, remark- ing quietly : "Nursing is to be my vocation, Dr. Leland ; I was just indulging in a 'dress rehearsal' for the benefit of the children upstairs." " Nursing is quite the fashionable mania of the day with young ladies," returned the doctor in a voice that brought the thundercloud look upon Dax's brow. " Our hospitals are crowded with the fair devotees of the new craze." Kit, whose sharp eyes had been fastened upon the new-comer all this while, and who had heard enough of his brothers' talk to detest tho stranger heartily, now gathered from Dax's face that some- 46 THK DOCTOU'S DOZMN. il P ; . tWng I.ad boon sai.l dc.-ogatory to D™,anX and " Damaris isn't a ,l„voteo, and sl.o l,„s„-t „„, , :r;r '' s, "'^ "' '' ^™"''''''' ^-° ^-^^^^^^^^ youKs. Sho s going out nnrsin? beoanso wo 're poo.. „„,, and she's gofng to pay Di's schooling and mmo too by-and-by, and get us no,, boot, wlion ,vo i.,ck o„« „„t so fast, and Nanoy Xt^ woriied. So there ; " ■' " And Kit retreated back upon Damaris still jw, ng fiercely at the intr„derS.ld,st the sdonf o utte, consternafon fell upon the room. Even 1.0 sol -possessed young doctor flushed crin.son as 1.0 roahsed that his carelessly spoken wor.ls 1,2 boon construed into a sneer at tl!e poverty of is redeeessor-s fa.ni,y His gentlenran-like i„sti„: ..;a.le l,„n keenly shamed, and ho would have g.von »yth,ng to have recalled the words no that . was too late. It had never occurred to ..„ that the r..g,chursts were poor: the fact the,r hv.ng on ,n that large house seemed in itself a g,,arantee of at Ic^t .noderato prospe..ity r.ank can,e to the rescue by swinging h busdf ro.,.,d upon the .nusic-stool and brelkin. i „ a mn^,nareh whilst the doctor ,nade a'grb a l."ly-loly, and placed o,.e on each knee, ask i,,. t'.o,r nan,es, a„d professing a vast deal of inter t i I M TIIK doctor's dozen. 47 maris, and small fisfs ^sii't gof, a 5 business tuse WG 're schoolinsr. ew boots, "ancy gets aris, still ie silence ^. Even imson, as ords had fcy of his i instinct dd have rds now urred to '■ fact of in itself osperity. liinisolf ; into a grab at askinar interest in the joint one they possessed, and in their velicnicnt declaration that " it wasn't that one was Roly and the other Poly, as some people thought, but that they were just Roly-Poly together, and should never be anything dillercnt as long as thev lived." ^ As no other arrangement had been made, the whole dozen passed into the dining-room togetlier, where Ella had added a few effective touclies to the table, whilst Nancy had contrived a couple of extra dishes, so that there was nothing poverty stricken in the aspect of the repast. There was a little laughter about sitting down thirteen, and Dr. Leland added to the fun by declaring ' that Roly-Poly only counted as one, and this so delighted the twins that they insisted on placing themselves one on each side of him, and gravely instructed him to shut his eyes and cksp his hands, as they always said grace at tea. On the - whole, the young man appeared at greater advantage in his merry chatter with the children than in his intercourse with the elder members of the family Edmund was stiff with- out intending it, and Dax appeared as if "literally made of bristles," as Damaris afterwards told him. He had several sharp encounters with the o-uest on various topics of the day, on which Iheir opmions differed ; and though the younger mem- ili 1 i 48 TIIR doctor's DOZKN. bers of the flimily were not able to enter into the merits of the case, they sided loyally and unreason- mgly with their brother, and pronounced the guest a "horrid man" when they went upstairs at the close of the repast. In the drawing-room things were a little better, i^ rank's banjo was brought out once more— it had fallen mto disuse of late— and he enlivened the company by some of his comical representations of the leading singers of the day. Dr. Leland proved to have a good voice and a musical ear. and the pair got on very well together. Ella was made to sing, and her voice, though not strong was exquisite in quality, and her performance was' warmly appreciated. The ice melted gradually, and the Inglehursts showed themselves rather less stiff. Nancy and Damaris did everything they could to make the evening pass harmoniously, and only Dax sat apart with a gloomy brow. Dr. Leland told them that he was expecting his mother to join him shortly, when he had got his quarters in readiness to receive a lady. She would come on a Ion- visit at any rate, and possibly, if she took a likin- to Fossbuiy, become a permanent member of the community. Nancy said something polite about hoping to call when she had arrived, and presently the giicst rose to take liis departure. ^ ■* '•) I r into the unreason- inccd tho t upstairs tie better. 3 — it had ened the ientations ^ Leland sical ear, Ella was t strong, ance was jlehiirsts ncy and ake the )ax sat Id them )in him 3adiness a lonsf a liking of the 5 about ■esently " The whole dress suited Damaris wdV-Par/, •c 44. 49 1 ;. ; 1 THE doctor's dozen. 51 There was a good deal of discussion about him when he left. Dax said incisively that he was just the kmd of fellow he himself eould not bZ -stuck-up, conceited, supercilious-and he »ave rathe, a cutting hit at Damaris for "parading the family poverty and degradation before the eyes of a stranger. ' ^ Damaris looked across at him with a smile in her eyes, as if she would have spoken, but when ^he saw the look on his face she reLinei^Zi hTrLr'^'"^^"""""^' -»""'■"• "P- "You have another headache. Dax," she said gen^^^;. Poor old boy. I wish you cJu::;:::^' His answer was httle more than a low growl but he let her hold her hands upon his throS temples, and presently said in a low tone • ^ "You are a good girl to be so patient with rs^rdrwi^t^rwhe?:-^"--' -wonder I hate th/t ^Z^ Z!Z Damaris felt richly rewarded for her little acts of unobtrusive, apparently unheeded, ca,; Tr stut^riitTt-i^'"'^^ ^Heran,.ty-abrr^;^-£--o[ !!! ' ,j : 1 ' i *' 1 1 II II. 52 her do. THE DOCTOII'S DOZKN. to watch over him as much as she could " For you know, Ella dear, Nancy has worries enough, and it may be my fancy partly, but I do not like to see Dax looking as he does now. Ho is certainly thinner than he was, and if you notice, he starts and changes colour at a sudden noise, and he has very frequent headaches, which he never had, and then he is so dreadfully irritable that it is most difficult to do anything with him. It sometimes makes me very uncomfortable about him ; for I know enough of his work to be sure that it often needs great nerve and self-possession and steadiness. He has often told me of things he has to do which have made me feel giddy even to hear about. And I cannot help feeling that if he does not get over the shock he has had, and recover tone, he may perhaps meet with some terrible accident at the works. That is why I am more anxious about him than I should be if it were Edmund or Oswald, Will you keep an eye on him, and try and see that he takes his food, and if he does not eat properly, make him strong coflfee, as I do, later on, and get him to take that and a poached egg or something ? I will leave you a little money, so that you need not trouble Nancy " But here Ella flushed scarlet, and laid her hand on Damaris's mouth, ±i. ■■*» THK doctor's dozen. 53 as shn could 3y has worries rtly, but I do loes now. Ho I if you notice, sudden noise, les, which he [fully irritable ing with him. fortable about )rk to be sure self-possession me of thinsfs sel giddy even feeling that if has had, and )6 with some ; is why I am ould be if it I keep an eye his food, and strong coffee, e that and a VQ you a little Nancy " aid her hand " You need not do that, dear. See here : open that purse and look in. Oh, Damaris, Damaris ! I didn't mean to tell anybody till quarter-day when poor Nancy will have the last months' books commgin. But I will tell you. I dared not say a word that day before the boys, after the Avay I)ax spoke about your nursing ; but, oh, Damaris don't scold me and say it was naughty. It is all my own — indeed it is ! " Damaris was looking into the purse which held five sovereigns, and some loose sUver, Ella was almost choking in her quivering excitement. She was a timid little soul at all times, and Damaris could not divine how she had come by that money m three months, for it plainly had been earned by her in some way. " What do you do, dearest ? " she asked. "I tint photographs for Mr. Fotherc^ill " an- swered the girl in a whisper. " Have you never wondered what I was doing all day when I wasn't with you ? I didn't mean anybody to know till 1 had really earned something worth calling some- thing. First 1 went to his rooms behind the shop whenever I could get away, and when I liad learned to do it nicely he let me bring work home Sometimes I colour them, and sometimes I touch up negatives. I did it always in the spare room which I keep in order, you know, and where 54 THE DOCTOll's DOZEN. nobody ever comes. Sometimes I tho,i<.ht vou Damans answered by a warm kiss. ^' My dear little sister, I never did think there ™^ anythmg degrading i„ honest labour 1 lessened m any possible way. I think you are a very brave and persevering little girl." thought you t you never I't think it want to do )nly way." think there Ijour ; I am ies Avill be ^ you are a CHAPTER IV. [RANK, Frank 1 Oh, Frankie, dear, see here ! Two stall tickets for the con- cert this afternoon, and I am going to take you. I know you are just thirst- ing to hear some good music again ; and somebody says this concert is to be the best of the whole set " Di was in the hall, flourishing two pink tickets m her hand as Frank came in from his daily "grmd" at the bank— to-day, as it was Saturday at one o'clock, instead of at four, as on other days.' His face brightened eagerly. " What ? Stalls for the concert in the Town Hall this afternoon ? AVhy, Di, however did you get them ? " "^ " Miss Hilton gave them to me," answered Di flushed with pleasure, for her school-mistress was .'tn object of something like adoration to the enthusiastic school-girl. « She called me into her room after lesson hours and said, oh such things —I'll tell you about that as we walk this after- 55 50 THE DOCTOil'y Do/KN. ill! ^' i II I . I I "oon ; and then she gave me thn fi i . ., y^-s, in tiu; very best part of the hnlJ w sliall see and hear evorvtlnmr r. . u ^ ^ Di'c « «vciytmng most beaut fuUv " within the walls of boZ U^T^T "''"^'°" an!n.oire„T:;:jrs"%tr7r^^ were all fond of music and Tu , '"S'*"'-^^ fa».ily always attend:," „ 11 11^ ""•""'' o~ given a„„...l,,,.„.t"^-*«-- of •Viva:"',; : *, '^ ~Jo-usio had felt the of that household hBd f "'""' '""> ""ose ™;^tS:teratf::;:t:r="- she's a girl." ^® ^ ^°^> and els:,S BiUiiy" 'Toff 't^ ^°" "'«' -"-'^ but she told mlZt No J r u!"^ "*'' '° ^"''' '"l-hertotho e !r,!f '""'T.^"^^^^ it. Nancy doesn't .v.,1 ""'"'''"'' '''^^ there's no od;Tt t ^ ' "hoT" ,' "" '" '""•^■"' »" will .m l,„ , 1 ''""y '""" to go. We HO by ourselves and have a delightf„r,in,e,» ^s. Some- s Edwards ubscribers' hall, ^'q tifuUy." •n. After seclusion iiire for a ernoon at gleliiirsts 3 doctor's series of !. Now, amed of, [ felt the th those It about I; "she im, and nobody to Ella, oing to 't have i«ic, so We imc-. "Two stall titkets for thy concert."— /%c 65. 67 B( It S'll fl!i THE I)O(JT0U's DOZliN. 51) Frank's face brighteno.l as he ran upstairs, whistling gaily. After the noisy mid-day meal the brother and sister wore not long in escaping from the house. T. ^as a bright day in June, and Fossbury was loking iL, best. They intended to amuse themseh 38 by w.fching the people coming m. and did not lu he lei .t mind waiting before the music began. TL .a Di was full of her own piece ot news, which she was eager to impart to Frank as they pursued their way to the Town Hall. /'Oh. Frankie, what do you think Miss Hilton said to me ? You know she has always been so very kind, and when the new literature course was started at half-term, she put down my name for the course, and would not charge a penny for it Well, to-day she took me into her own pretty rooms, and made me sit down, and she asked me If I had ever thought of teaching as a vocation for myself when I grew older ; for, oi course, every- body knows now that some of us girls must earn our own Hying more or less. I quite jumped when she asked me that, and said I had longed all my life to gro.v up like her and have a school, and try and make it like hers ; and she laughed then and the colour came into her face, and she looked «o pretty And then she grew grave again, and told me that when she was a girl like myself she naa nad just that ambition, and that her father tl «0 TIIH DOCTOK'S DOZEN. had suddenly died and left them poor, very much' - O.U. had done. She was older' han 11::' Prin .pal ktt h''" "' " ™'"°'"' ^'='"'<''- ""' tt- ^-ftK:::;ai^rr:^^^^^^^ built and endowed she was ask!d o IL! td Jl^ eVtrTuTT" "' '-^'"' ^- ^-^o "- ^ - told r::,"" ^"^^ '^ ™'y '■'-'y-'wo now. she "WpII o ^/^'^''^^°"^^cal expression. Fossbur%ohoorintofr'o;;r^'°'^^'^''*''« "Silly boy, be serious a moment. Indeed it IS very important. Miss Hil.™ . gravely about it She toTd mo t ^ . f ' ''""^ or teachmg that she ™ight train tho^ 3^3^ tresses in her special methods wliich ha^^ 1 very successful. Sl.o told „,. ? " '"^ u^ut tliat 1 should suit her verv well if r .. 1 1 itv^^-r'-f^y-'-^caruJi'' :t, " ^™ "" "'^ '"»<' ""n?^ she said about me for € THE doctor's dozen. 61 it would sound conceited ; but she knows I love my lessons, and that it isn't just for the marks or the prizes or the glory I take pains. She said it was difficult to get any hold upon girls in the position she wished them to be— gentlewomen by birth— because they so often lost their interest in study when they came out i^^.o society, and married off, or went away and were lost to her. But she saw that things were likely to be different with me, and she has said that if for the next three years I go on as well as I have done— and she will give me every class I like to take at half- fees all that time— then she should very much hko to have me as one of her under-mistresses, and that I may consider this a definite project to live for and work for, so far as she is concerned, in the future." Di's face v^as all in a glow ; she did not see or heed the cloud which had fallen upon Frank's brow. As he made no immediate reply she went on eagerly: "I'm. almost sure she wanted to give m°e my schooling for nothing. She didn't exactly know how to say it, but I was sure it was coming, and so I broke in and told her about Damaris, and how she had just gone to her first case. She was very much pleased and interested, and thought it very nice of her; but she ended up by saying that I was to be on half-fees for everything the rest of my time at school, in consideration of the fact that 62 THE doctor's dozen. I W.S qualifying myself to be of „se to h.. r. wards ; and shp «n.^l.« r ,. ^^^ '''^er- lecture ^r ho lln „" ," J"^ -e sometimes to *ey have tL'""^ r„t °f ^ P'-. when kind ever,body has been to" V- *°"''"'"' ''°" ;; Why. Frankie. aren't you pleased?" teaching drud-^er/alv , "^ '° """ ^»« »f hand to\fe";°r Tu' T^' "'""'"<" "«■ E»' '» »" " ^ '■""'t s«e that there 's any bv i„ .1, answered Di. stoutly. .. r hal ft sir of n' fashionable idlp Hfo w, ^ " °* ^^^^^y, spoken to mal tefr no:T/"'' "'"' ^'^ useful and like MissHir 7' ^"''''^ '" be anything against it Sh ;•?'" '^' ""^^ ™'<' drudgery. Whv fLk *'* ■"" "''"'^ "o* differlnt'forl ^of : nr^ffT"," """^ '^- '■tt'eu.tofapiaceinX^lk'""'^''''^''''''^' ."Exactly." answred the boy with a n.„ r gnmace. "and so I feel „,„i,-fi„ , " P^™'"" these who are mhtg t d 1 7' "''' " '" youthful drud-rerv „„ I ""T 8 '"'° * "fe of "ruagery, and my advice is— don't " D. turned her eager glance upon hi„r THE doctor's dozen. gg " f" y" "'^'»n you =»re wry you did it «• P,Jn ""?^ """"'^ ^^ '" '■"'• '■■' ""at," answered Frank with unwonted gravity, -r^ , toy and I don't see that boys have any rigl>t to .0 le'ttin. themselves be a drag on the famUy when'm n^'s so scarce <« .t s with us. I 'd just finished wHh school and father was going to ta.e me in hand to see If I had the making of a doctor in LZl Jirti::::"r:irtLt:^"""'"--^^^^^^ P- I was just tVttZn-r'tr: seemed no possible opening for me to any kind f profession Banking isn't altogether low sort „ work and a doesn't need any sp^-ecial trainingand old Hop-o -my-thumb. when I went to consult him really settled the matter for me by making 1?,; offer of a small salary forthwith It wa^nrthe .me o let auy chance go by, however sm H But I "bound to say if I'd known what it w s=":ys^:^Vptri:"z;r"™'^-T^-« -d at hoL, ,,:>:;;!„ „r t iT/oratr a ou myself again ; but I positively loaThe anf abommate rt, and if ever the chance comes to e«.Jgra.eI'UbeoffIikeashot,youbet." 1). looked very sorrowful and troubled. soho^rikr ''""""^' ^■'-"'-t that's 64 '.*' THE doctor's dozen, "Oil. I f fellows ty, which i timidly, ^ery fast, igh. and able and 5f chaps d about it 's no un and ng at a to have Y meat- only fit e been b ready, ivithout girl— hildren y, and lla has ig half ^ what make v^ are bring THE doctor's dozen. 65 my banjo and have a jolly evening. I Ve got off so far because you see people don't press one when one has had such a loss in the family recently • but that can't go on for ever ; and I know how much I want to go really ; and yet " •' Well, why shouldn't you ? " asked Di, eagerly • I m sure it would be good for you to have some' more enjoyment. You always were the funny sociable one of all the boys, and everybody likel you wherever you go. Father and mother always that ?'rv f '/ ''-^'^^'^ «aw it all. She knew that I hked fun only too much, and that I was bked because I could strum most instruments and mal.e people laugh with a comic song. She saw ast enough that as I grew up it would become a getting mto all sorts of society. I just know she woudnot have liked the fellows at the bank fo w'uM h ' r' ' ''""' '"^ ""''' '^ ^« -hat she would have been sorry for just because » Frank did not finish his sentence, but Ij; under- stood and nipped his hand hard. ArJlltJ' '^^ ^'"'' ''''^ '^' h^^k clerks? Aien t they gentlemen ? " "Oh, well, that depends upon what you mean £ s' I St ! THE DOCTOR'S DOZliN, ^y the term — it 's >n .ro*., i caUthen«e..ess:,'7Zr:''*V'''^^-»'<' certain how far th^ - , / ^ "" ■>•" I"!** mind a. orapTh*;:;;!"! ";?"■''■ ^"' ^'" -' quite enough to know thaf -),., ', ' ''^" -^ .an.Mi„g ..on;/i'^'';:; 1' r/^"! '■o^s to watch n,atohes, and p av^^l '""'"'' uoUday or a half-holiday aLdro to '^ ^'' " -d aU that sort of thi,^. ^Tt : a/rTT ontisthatj::rti:rirt"'7r same as th. - do mn«f o i- i, ^*^ *^ ^« ^^e for a little brJhtZaTd !^ ' '"' J"^' '"'""^ '0 forget the 4nk allelTrrr'^ ness of the bank work V . deadly dul- understand- but t'Ttt m. ™'" ''^ ""^ *<> Meve if I on:'lLt::tflT' '"' ' "» swim, and goodnesro!,! > ' "^^^ S:et into the The W'ff„ ^ '^""^ ^''^n I *a" stop " worhe!::di^;. ^'^^^ "»■' ^»=- i* "OK yes. I know it all. Hav i i "y^elf all these weeks till I fj^ j ' ^;'"^<' «»y . ■ . ber of sermons to the - „ T ""'" -"'"». -. »''' I hear t of betting ) to billiard oa amongst 'tey get a 3-meetings, 't it 's only inest sight the worst to do the 1st aching -anything >adly dul- J able to yet I do t into the all stop." d almost gin. It lectured Id write ppant?" THE DOCTOII'S DOZEN. 67 answered Frank, hastily «' But it 's long chalks easier to preach than to practise, and I 'm horribly afraid I '11 come a cropper one of these fine days. If only I had something to do that I like, to make up for the beastly grind of everything else." " I am so sorry for you," said Di. " Oh, don't you bother ; it 's a shame to grumble, for you girls have quite as rough a time of it too;' but it relieves a fellow's mind to let fly sometimes! I felt very heroic when I offered at the bank, and told Nancy when the buttons boy went away that I would black the boots of the family, as no maid ever did do that office well. I thought I should always feel the ' dignity of service,' but if only you knew how I hate and detest it now. I'm mean enough sometimes to feel degraded by it, and yet the girls dust the rooms and make the beds, and here's Damaris gone out to that beastly nursing, which is enough to make a cat sick." " Well, she says she likes it, and I hope she does," said Di ; " but we do miss her dreadfully at home. Well, here we are at last, and we will try to have a good time of it now. I am so gk i Frankie, dear, that you will have one afternoon of pleasure." Certainly there was no denying that the brother and sister enjoyed the concert to the full. The "fly-out" had done good to the pent-up irritation (is ■niE doctor's dozeu. 'Mil depression which h,rl i the delight of liln r "'' ""'' '""'' '" "'■•s first appearancraft ;L rwf^ ''.^'"™'=" feat joy. and between the part I l""" '"'* ■'•t^'l tl.0 hall, and was se I „;„rf '"""'"■ "bk aequaintanees ea^er to "^, ''^ '"""■"«■- -ith hin,. and ask afte'r hopa " ^f '"^""^^ ^rave and resolnfo • ? -^ ^^ ^^^^' The '■"'"i^.cedtSa^SL:*:','^"^'^'™^ "nd sympathy fr„„ ,,, TW h J'"", "•°" ^^P-' popular family in the r^ujl , ""^'^ ''^''° » known how hard a tu l ' I' °"' *"' " "- numbers of old fri.n!, ^ ^ "<"■" onduriog, to t.-y and devis? orr *? t'' '''^^ burden for them ''^ ^ '-ghtening the :vfotaiT;;\a::Mt^^^^^^^ It for the same. -^ '^'^^'^ ^"ovvn " Has somethincT hannenpr] ? " .1 "I should jus thbH ! ,f^-''^''e»Serly. "-hisper; "you wait till th' """''•'='' '» " then I'll tell vou" ' f""=" '^ °'^' "nd and" "'" ""^'™' "« '"ned eagerly to her half an afternoon, 1 might have THE doctor's dozen. 69 ?'ng over i(i soul to 'tl music, welcomed ision \^'ith perambu- innumer- greetings le. The ?lehursts 1 respect s been a it it was iduri 0Q-, ' brains ng the lis face known agerly. I in a >r and ;o her fl'd have saved myself tlio trouble of letting fly at everything and everybody Why, no end of our oldest and nicest friends have begged me to drop in and spend the evening with them, and give them some music whenever I feel disposed for sociability ; and best and most wonderful of all — but you shall guess— what do you think old Thompson has promised me ? " "Old Thompson, the Abbey organist? Oh, Frankie, what ? " " Why, some lessons on the organ all for noth- ing, and leave to play on it as often as I like, if I'll take the week-day evening service for him sometimes wheu he wants to be away. What do you think of that ? " "Oh, Frank, how delightful. You know' you were just pining for some organ playing and lessons. Mother had always promised them when you had finished at school. Oh, I am pleased! How did it happen ? " " Well, I don't know if the old boy had it in his head before ; but I brushed up against him just now, and we got talking of the organ here, and the improvements they have made in it ; and as we talked he seemed to think I knew something of the instrument and asked if I did. I told hhn the fc>(, nt of my acqukements in that line, and my l)erli nuances on the school tin pot, and he asked 70 THE doctor's dozen. I; ': fif: w J" iH! li i! / I stood forth to sinr *" ' ""- •"''"■^' June evening, F,,„k ,^ ^„^„^ ^ /"-'"n of a then spoke suddenly and without Z^^"''- '""' I deelare-thongl^ it seems a queer°ihin„ , say af-.-r what I was ,!ng on abo,,?! ^ '" J rlnn'f -7 1 . ^ ^OOUt as WG caniG youfcget all the -ot i tallTd „, "■*'• ^'• meant it all then T u . *^ '*""'• ' Ihadavoryml, '\Xl:"°f"^ ever you hear me melined m . ' *" *='"■'' " '-^n.iu.t,.„H;r;tc::;;':2;:f J * t THE doctor's dozen. 71 to mo tliat I 'm an ass. I don't often talk goody- good ; I've a constitutional aversion to it ; but really one does see sometimes how there must bo somebody watching over one, and keeping things right for one, however little one deserves k. I 'd jnst felt as if I 'd about got to the end of my tether — as if I must go and do something foolish out of sheer weariness of monotony ; and then all this comes just in the very nick of time. I can't tell you what it is like to me. It makes me feel just as if she were somehow watching over one still, and seeing that things did not get too hard for one as she always did, you know." Sudden tears sprang into the girl's eyes ; she turned her head away to hide them. " I believe she is often near us still," she said quickly, to cover her emotion ; " and, oh, Frankie, if she has been with us to-day, I 'm sure she will be very proud of you, for I think you have felt it more than any of us, and you have ab lys been the one lo make the home cheerful when ^veiy body else has been wretched. I never even guessed how you were feeling all the while. I think that is being a real hero." " A real fiddlo-stick," answered Frank, with his most comical grimace. -*«i- it. I i U ('HAPTER V. jAJrAIirsi,a,lgonotoI,orfi«tc«.,o 1, ™ """ "f '"oningitis in „ li„,l„ „,,, „,: «'•'(- <|uito ),„,,elcss in character. b„f Tl-e cl„l,I ,vas the youngest an,l only .W oTw^ ' parents, an.l t.„y thought nothing !„: !oo, f their (larlincr. The kinrJlv .1 1 ° ^ every attenUon J hr.try"^^^^^^^^^^^^ gunieas a week for .,o long as sh."?' , "" tl.en, ; and Da^aris l,a;LV :r;''7; -* tesicl<-roon.hef„rosh„eon4t;Jr™: terms for herself which she liW to don,a:"' J 10 httlo patient — a wailing, feeble fe.. .^cken chil„_to„U to the gentlet^icel n« H tl.e first mon,ent of introduction. She ecu d n! «oe the tendorne.ss of the face bent ^r h ' fo tlie s,ght had faded from the t.ri.d.t Z >'-..e^«nn,softto„ehu,onhe;;chi:;;™r- THE doctor's dozen. 73 skilled handling which was so welcome to the wasted, sensitive limbs, the full gentle tones of the voice in accents of loving coniprohension and sympathy, took captive from the first the alfcc- '^%, "The gentle-voiced nurse."— i'a^e 72, tions of the little pationt, and Damaris found that from that time forward her life was to be mainly lived between the walls of the sick-room. She had made a special study of children in her 74 n h ! ' ■ t 1 THE DOCTOR'S DOZEN. -on this s.d wastio, disease 1 rn^Tof if f' '"' »d was perfectly conversant 41 tllv f™' She was able to suggest m,„„ , '*y™Ptoms. the relief of the chtld „dZ""^^ """""^^ '"' r-d was regarded Z\^Ze^: 'T ''" ■n^portant person in the house °slt , , ™' ous bod-chamber of her own 1 ^f.' ">*'' ■""«"•;- «ick-room, and her mel '''"= """ "^ *o , -uu uer meals were serirnrl f^ x, :^S:uiLt:h"'- --" -rat f^'^p-entwittaitrrrrrf- inSr,^:ir-:^-o.dtheho.^^ '0 time, and a oarri!cl ^ ^ '""'""' ^""^ ^imo if ^hefeitdeslrT:-:^-'';- disposal 'o tinnk of the contrast betw en he. ™''"' roundings and those of her own L '^T"' '"^- that if the "boys" co„U I . , ''• ■■*"'' "'™Sht '-, the, W0.S 00 e'ret:,fr™"^^»^<' ;-vants■work,"andrrJl''-""7." take. "^'^ to under- THE doctor's dozen. 75 The house to which she had come, stood at tho opposite side of the town from hei* own home, and away from the houses with whicli she was best acquainted. She had no personal knowledge of the owners, but they knew something of her story, and treated her with marked courtesy and respect. The electrical Avorks in which Dax was employed, were not very far away, and she had hoped that her brother would occasionally have found his v/ay across to her ; but Dax had never quire forgiven her for taking up this work, and he had made no promise of visiting her. After a fortnight had passed aAvay she ceased to look for him, and as all the rest at home were so busy she could not expect that they could walk as far. It was four miles from home, and there were no horses to depend -on now. She had jnce driven across to them, but latterly had not liked to leave her little charge for so long, or to be beyond the reach of a sudden summons. The little one was slowly sinking, and the end might come almost at any hour. But Damaris was not forgotten by those at home, and on Saturday afternoon, as Di and Frank came home together for the early dinner, Di ran to Nancy to beg that she might go across and see Damaris, as nobody had been all the time she had been there, " I should be very glad it you could, dear, but m >! ill I< 7G THE Dorroii's dozen. ;t is such a long way, and the road lies .!., t ^^^0 worst part of the town, too ' "^^^ "Oh, but I've thought' of all ih.i » "ght through the town-ho is g„i" to tl e!* l'" o>»an to practise, but he will ste X ,. . ""^ the slc„„s fi,s, »„d out int^ e ToJ^T'K "" oo™„g ho„e I will take the fiolj paftol: works, and get Da. to bring meho.ne v , 1- -i "'^ ^™- he was " horrid ""u, ^^" "'""^'^ ''<=c'ared that heen very fond of Dr t f f "' ^^''°°'' ''''<' had 'e"in.hfrstori:^ttl':'?,;:;!::^t'"'-'''' - -i.vient methods of •"» x;^ THE doctor's dozen. 79 ve shall •"i the new man, and how little he was liked by his patients. The girl was vaguely aware that there was an- other idde to the picture, and that Dr. Leland was undoubtedly making his way in the good graces of the townspeople; but it went terribly against her to see him driving through the streets in her father's carriage, with the dear old horses she had petted so often, and their old family coachman on the box, looking exactly as he had done in her own father's time. She never saw the familiar equipage without a quiver of pain, and now she turned to Frank with a grimace of disgust. " Horrid creature, why need he see us, of all people? Not that I care one button-top what he thinks ; but I suppose he '11 thinly me awfully un- ladylike and all that, and perhaps tell other people too." ^ ^ "Not he; men don't gossip in that woman's fashion." " Oh, don't they ? I like that. I believe men are twice as bad as women. They always herd about in flocks, and talk scandal like anything. I've heard father say so himself. He always laughed when he heard people talk about gossipino- women," ° Frank lausrlied cood-hnmnnrA^iiw -'V " bix of one and half-a-dozen of the other, I i-1 \ 111 ^;f 80 THE DOCTOR'S DOZEN. w «'Ppose. But anyhow I ,I„„., ,, . , much of a gossip." " ' """'^ "'at fellow is retur!^! Di'^TirtoT' """ '""'^■"Pered," offender. ■■Tl.at'll "wW™.,"", """^ °" *>>» ?'"'» of. They can't 1, 1 " "'^ P^°P'« «««- just asks a few outst fs : T' °"' "' '''"'■ He ""d fe gone, and' h y don^f 7'" ^ P"=^°"P'-» a visit at all." ^ "" ' ^"^^ <« if they 'd had ■•'.Xtt^httirfT-"^*"-' "- '"-gh ; but the tl^ ;' T^ '»■-' J'-'nod in '«™inus, and the brX. r'"°" "°" "' 'he »J went their respeotil w™ "'" ''"»^'«'^<' ■liie sun was shininfr fU. *, "ow, and Di was glad LtTt ' ,*™''^'^ ''^^ - 3he had some ^ay to „ , ".^ " 'f « ""-"'-^d I' was pleasant, however To h T"" ""^ ''°"'^- green hedgerows and waCinl '" 1 """"''^ *'«' "■"I left, and the twittlr rffh^T, ''''* '» '"'ght . ^''-Direaohedthh iof-^ .".pressed by its graudel an/r^T''"'"^' Damans might really be s2 , """'" ">»' the closeness and he^t of tb":'"" "" "''-''"S'' ^om '"e year was coming Ifj C", .'^^ ""^ "^ been wont to leave Possburv / ^"Srlehursts had the sea-side, or in som 2r " t"' ' "'™* « "".id beautiful seenerr Of ° ^ """""■^ P'^'.e /• W ™URe there had been ^i THE DOCTOn'f DOZEN. f^ no whisper of any s„ol. thing tin's yc«r-it was obviously a pleasure of the past. Di had never reahsed fll to-day how dull the summer holiday,, u-ould seem ooope,! up i„ F„3,b,„,y, „„,, ^,^^ J^ back a l.u nopationt sigh as she strov- to think of the bright side of tlie future instead of its darker Daraaris was dehghted to see her sister " You darling Di. this is an .me.xpeeted pleasure. Have you walked .all the way? Oh, the tram has helped ; that .s better. But you have eome in he mok of fme for a cosy cup of tea with n>e „,, hem Is not this a de.ar little room ? It is „;„« whenever I want it. My poor little mite h.as just gone off mto a quiet sleep, so I hope I may 1 ave ha^f an-hour at least. Tea is just coming up."^ You wiU be thu-sty .after your long, hot walk ■' "Yes, but I liked it very much. How tired you look. Damaris ! You have sueh black mart round your eyes. Is it very hard work » Tto boys would be " " The boys would say nothing if they could have seen my poor little patient these last days. She has been so fearfully ill; but the worst is over fo her, poor darling. It will hp incf o • t r.r. .u , Dejust a smkuig awav now ; they say the pain is over." ^ "Oh, Damaris isn't \t .1 ir-n , ,,, « \\r II • "' "' "^^''^'-^^"iij sad ? " v> ell, in one way it is • vpt ;*■ „ ^V lu IS , yet It never seems F i I 82 THE doctor's dozen. altogether sad to me to see n Hffin i,-ii , of tbe .in and sorrow ofZ,™'; '''"f,t''T T that they l,ave gone with ^im to . hil , than ever this could be 1,,- i ., P'*'" band in the bright land hi T , '"" "'^ "'"'<•- garments havetlX 'r oiS H' "'"^^ rirrn:::jraH'"'»---^ Our poor iitrdai;r,S;T^''\^»''' amongst them. She L been ^i """"''"*'' Jesus all through these In ^"^ '" '" '"" °' she has had ifre^;, Ze^'^XL"*""' f™ specially agreed on " ' ""''' """ '"^ " ^' '"^ °n'y hy accident. A second n., sent for for the night work buMl, . "* ""^ di J not take to her aTd t' ^ "" T' '""' ™'» force her. I am vL strol H '" *'^ »" not hurt me. Now ofd ^^ . °'«'"^ '''" in his worst moor ttZ' '° '°°' '""^ ""^ done the same yourself." ^'"' ^""''^ '"'™ i"Srcrt';e:i.t:,*i';'.--^« , - i— --.x ui iucigue in a the THE DOCTOR'S DOZEN. gS good cause, and the father would have said that Damans was right. Interruption occurred as the tea was brought, with rich ripe strawberries and cream and other dainties now greatly appreciated by Di As she did good justice to the repast she unbiirdened herself of her budget of home news and Damaris had so many questions to ask that time flew away fast, and both sisters were sur- prised to find how long they had been together when a message arrived to the effect that Dr' Leiand was in the sick-room and wished to speak to Miss Inglehurst. ; Dr. Leiand ! " exclaimed Di. " Why, I thought this was Dr. Medlicot's case. The boys would never let you nurse for that horrid man." "The horrid man has only been called in in consultation, puss, and as he has given a medicine that wants rather close watching, he comes from time to time to see the child. He never stays many mmutes,. so you need not run away 1 shall be back directly. And, oh, dear, look at the rain ! ' Di had little else to look at whilst her sister was gone, for the heavy thunder-shower which had burst over the place blotted out the landscape, and rolled m thick rivulets down the window-panes Di was wondering hr>,v she should get home with everything in a swim, when Dai .aris came back "Wf 84 TlfK DOPTOr'' dozen. "nr-o a prescription. "Here is Ji.ck for you Pi" «.„M n ' i. Loland IS going straight back to i^ssburv and ho has kindly ofierod to take you i„ ht carrinrro " -^ ^ "^° earn aire iJ' •''ew back and gave Damans a moaning ^ "I ftm going across the fields to Bax " she said .gn.eant,,, but Damaris appea.-od to' be ^ " Does Dax expect you ? " " ■^■~"^'" '^^as the rehictant answer "But- " ;■ '>h, well then that is all right. He will nnf Hours. The field paths will be very dirty this ully. You must think of Nancy's feel n-s and dtrd!::.!^-^ ^ -- -- - '"nt Di looked very mutinous, but she could not a^uo the po,„t in presence of Dr. Leiand, X had now risen and was looking towards her as if ™tmg i ,,r to move. She kissed Damars afteetionately and followed the doctor dl" stos, feehng ,t all very much like a dream™ she s epped into the broughan, which IT " eutn-ely fa.n.har to her. even to the stain she had in liis THK D0(!TOU's DOZKN. go herself made upon one of tlie leather loops for 'h-awing up and down the windows. The doctor took the vacant scat at her sidr nd as the carriage rolled smoothly along h. uiarked, by way of hrcakin---- the silence : " Your sister is an excellent nurse." " Is she indeed ? I suppose she takes kindly to the fashionable craze." For tbo life of her Di could not refrain from this retort. She had neither forgotten nor for- given the young man's words on the evening of their first introduction, and Di was not wont to curb her sharp speeches as an older givl mi-ht have done. Perhaps had she been looking at the doctor and had seen how his colour flew up at the taunt she might have regretted her frankness— though possibly she might have rejoiced that her shaft had struck home ; but her eyes were fixed upon the window beside her, down which the ram-drops were pouring, and she held her proud httle head defiantly, as if to show that she had no wish to li .Id any intercourse with the foe. _ Dr. Leiand presently gave her a quick glance as thm hps relaxed into the ghost of a smile as he said : "I liope you enjoyed your lofty ride this after- noon ? It was only meant as a bit of sly raillery, but ^•V """^^ IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) // 1.0 I^BS I I.I 2.5 1^ 1^ u 114 2.2 us IB u lAO L25 III 1.4 2.0 1.6 *»'..^ '^^ o 7 Photographic Sciences Corporation \ <^ \\ 23 WEST MAIN STREKT WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716) 872-4503 .^t they would for a moment contemplate taking boarders to help them to ek© out their means ? " " I reaUy do not know, mother. I should say there was room enough, for Dr. Inglehurst and his wife must have had their o^vn apartments; and in so hospitable a mansion as this is reported to have been in old days, there must have been guest- chambers which will be standing empty now Indeed, I have heard people say that it would be '^f 9G TIIR doctor's dozen. If »wi.so thing fort to fy ami got l,,„u.,|ors . b„t Ing to see the detested Dr. Leland. Giles came quickly fniwaid. THE doctor's dozen. 00 " Good evening, Miss Di. May I introduce you and my mother to each other ? But I see, we must go to business at once. You have hurt your- self. Let me see what it is." Di commenced to unwind the handkerchief. " I was bitten by a dog just now," she said. " I woukhi't have troubled you if it hadn't been that. I thought you would know w^ . I ought to do. I don't want to frighten anyboay at home— they have worry enough without. Please don't be afraid to burn it if you think it best. I 'm not afraid of the pain." "What dog was it?" asked Giles, as he ex- amined the injury. "The brown retriever that belongs to a Httlo butcher in South Street. I think he is a cross dog. Just as I was passing to-day he flew at a little boy who was running, and I threw my strap of books at him to make him let go— he had hold of his jacket— and then he came at me and bit my hand. I had a glove on, or it would have been worse. I didn't hko to go home and tell I tried them. Nancy is always so afraid of bites, to find Mr. Rouse, but he was out, and so "And so you made up your mind to face the enemy in his own entrenchments," said Giles with a smile, which was pleasantcr than any expression Di had seen on his face before. " Well, I am very 1 I; 100 THE doctor's noZEN. glnd you h«e como to me, Miss Di, for I think I "... a bettor s„r.coa than soocl „M Ronso, .an,l I .... t tlnnk 1 „„o,l t,.ko ,u.y very sovoro n,o,.n,o« w,th ho b, to, thoHf-h for the sake of precaution 2 wUl apply a httlo eaustic to the wo st plaee whore his teeth have marked you. I ^o'ti^ll Now I shall ms,st on his being kept chained. But he .3 only ehronieally bad-tompercd. I have no fear of tho brute's being rabid. We will soon make your hand Portable, and then you shall have a cup of tea with my mother; she is quite pinin. with all ho latest scandal of the town " This conclusion to his sentence, spoken with the .most gravity, surprised Di into a sudden laugh 11.0 hand was quickly dressed and bandage.l. h Lolands touch was so gentle, and hts fingers ecncl so strong and skilful, whilst he him'self append so kmd and brotherly in his cool, impas- S.V0 ashion that Di felt her feelings u„deJn„ ome h.„g of a revolution, and gradually her col "'r rose higher and higher, and her lips moved on e orjwice, as though she was nerving herself to ouu:!;r;i;;r"'^"""''»''»^^''-''*--^''. ' ^\a„ \Qiy rutlo to yon tlic other --'--"WSiiiSfiH it I THE doctor's dozen. 101 day. I want to tell you I am sorry. I was very angry with myself all the time, but I felt I could not help it. The things ^vould come into my head, and I said them without thinking. It was very >vrong, and it was very rude to run ofF without thanking you. I am very sorry now I did it." " And I am very glad— if it is to help us to be friends at last," answered Giles, as he released the hand and stood up smiling. "You must show your repentance by being very obedient now, and come and show me that hand of yours to-morrow about this time, when I am generally at home. And now I must be off; but you will stay and have tea with my mother. I expect you and she will be great friends one of these days. Good-bye, Miss Di. I hope we may call ourselves friends at last." Di gave him her hand, but did not look up. Her face was still crimson with the effort she had made, for she was a proud little mortal, and it was not easy for her to bring herself to make an apology— least of all to one who was nearly a stranger, and ranked almost as a foe besides. She was glad when his tall figure disappeared from the room, and she turned impulsively to the bri<.ht- eyed old lady, saying in her hasty way : " I suppose he told you how rude I was," "No, dear child, he did not. He told me only 102 THE DOCTOU'S DOZEN. M I i ! enough to make me desire very much to see you because we once had a little bright-eyed Di of our own, who Avas the very light of the house till it pleased God to take her from us five short years ago. He had told me that there was a Di here who brought his sister to his mind, and you may guess that I wanted to see her too ; and so you must not be offended if I take the liberty of call- ing you by your name on a very brief acquaintance because you do remind me too of our lost child' and I hope you will learn in time to give me a httle of the love that I know you have abundant store ot, somewhere in your heart." Di looked eagerly into the sweet face of Mrs Leland, and (she knew not why) sudden tears rushed to her eyes. Was it the mother-look in those soft sweet eyes Avhich went straight home to the motherless child, and seemed to fill her heart with something between pain and pleasure and yearning ? She could not have analysed the feeling herself She only knew that a new element had somehow entered into her life, and that the hungry longing she so often felt might find something to appease it at last. ^ The look exchanged between the pair must have been very eloquent, for Mrs. Leland bent forward and kissed the girl very softly and tenderly as she said : THE doctor's DOZiiN. 103 " Thank you, my dear little Di. I know that we shall understand each other well in time." Then she turned to the tea-table, and Di was soon making a healthy school-girl's meal, talking to Mrs. Leland as she would not have believed it possible to talk to a stranger only made known to her an hour ago, and that stranger the mother of the " horrid Dr. Leland." She stopped suddenly, and broke into one of her hearty laughs at the bare thought, and when called upon to explain herself, did so in the frankest fashion possible, delighting Mrs. Leland by her perfect truthfuhiess and sincerity. " But they will understand when they see you," she said, with one of those quick, confiding glances, that went straight to the mother's heart. " They will all love you directly, but I shall feel that I have the first place, because you know I was first in the field, and because you say I am like your Di who died. That will help you to love me, won't it ? I am so glad I am the one who has her name, because you know I am not one of the nice ones of the family. Damaris is so much more really bright and good tempered, and Nancy is so patient, and careful, and good, and Ella is so pretty. You would never have noticed me amongst the others if you had seen us all together, and I don't pay calls, because I 'm only a school-girl i I 104 THE DCJCTOII'S DOZEN. yet. But I will come to sco you sometimes if 1 n)ay, and I shall want you to go on liking me too. You will try to, will you not, though I was so rude to Dr. Loland, and helped the little ones to make names for him ! " ;' You shall come as often as ever you can, dear child, and there will always be a welcome ready tor you. You arc not the only Di whoso freedom of speech has got her into trouble sometimes, and you will not find Giles Leland's mother very critical towards that particular foiling." J' \ II f!! :ll! CHAPTER Vri. HAT suiuiner was a trying time to the inhabitants of Fossbury. The heat was exceptionally great, and coming as it (lid with a parching east wind, it was more trying tlian summer weather is wont to be. The Inglehursts were accustomed to leave the town at the end of July, and not to return till the early part of September. Their father had gener- ally remained behind, often running down for occasional spells of a few days at a time as the clahus of his patients allowed, but the young ones had never remained during the hot and glaring month of August cooped up in the streets of a town, and very keenly indeed did thoy feel the weariness and dreariness of the month which had hitherto been so full of cnj(jyment to them. All their friends had Hod. Those who were able had sought pleasanter spots in which the suunner holiday might be spent, and one or two 105 1 106 ! 'i ! ! THE DOCTOK's dozen. I ■ i ^ mv,tat.om h«I been extended to the elder .irh to om parfe. at the .ea-side or eho.here Id'enioy t.„„s la,I been gratefully but firmly deehned 1 .0 s,sters felt that they must not indulge theL selves at the expense of the household. The hoi' was ten ^elaneholy enough for the boy .even when the sisters were all there. Blanks i^ I! circle of faees would be keenlv fpl, !, I •."aHerow„„pp.„tedV:s:':e'trp£: iridtrhiitTitrrr '■'-''« ^urpo.d,of™aMnghin>:;i;lr^^^^^^^ and nsmg to a better position. He met ,rilh a gro,v^ any suggestions from hi. family Z^^,,; ah tie rela.xaUon, and declared that work wj tmce as good a. idling about at home, when lu ^e brightness and happiness had gone ut oTlife He was the most unapproachable o? all the fan^^v and whilst bringing home from time to time mo™ money than had been e.xpeeted by the Ist 1 ! -emed to shrink more and more ini himse \„J to avoid anything hke real conversation wll a, v •nember of the family. Even Damari, who had always appeared to unde,.tand him the best declared at last that she was fairly beaten H ' wouldnotlethersayawordtohim^abrbimfl? THE doctor's dozen. 107 or liis feelings, and if she breathed an inqniiy as to his hcaltli, she received such a scathing snub as showed how utterly impossible it was to get any reason out of the irascible young man. Edmund had his usual holiday, but though ho tried to pretend that it was a great luxury to remain at home and lounge about the shady garden with a book, it was but a poor pretence ut enjoy- ment. He was very good in helping to amuse the little ones, who claimed their summer holiday as a natural right, and were uncommonly troublesome when released from lesson hours ; but Nancy knew well that he was feeling his changed position more keenly now than he did at first, and that as the heavy loss they had sustained was softened some- what by lapse of time, the hopelessness of his future prospects would come upon him with more and more force. He was often sick at heart, she knew, at the thought of his lost love, pining for a sight of the face he had loved, yet dreading her return to Fossbury as an aggravation of the burdens of his lot. Never even to hei did he breathe a word of his troubles ; but she divined them without speech, and gave him such sympathy as might be silently rendered. She loved and reverenced him very nuich at this time, for, despite all the sacrifices he was making for them, the children seemed the great pleasure and relaxation of his life. His 108 h h THE doctor's dozen. I.imotl?, '"',"'''' ''"^^-''"'y """W follow High Street to look i„ , ,,!' h ' ; ™ *' or.-u,l,, 1 *''™°™'' "> tl'e absence of the :i:r:r,e™ .;::;:::: 'r '^ f^ '- ""<> .«: h^ i,oi -^^'''^"^ ""^« would do but he had grown so nuich that he found he could no longer get into thcni. Thev n>usf 1.. ? / and passed on to Kit and T^ i. . '"^ '^^^" !:>; L .u 1 1 ^^"^"^ ^^^ secretly told i^i he thought he should have to fiko fn 1 ^ " agaui. She often went to the '1 rilE liOCTOIt's DOZF.N. 100 Abbey with Frank, and often read aloud to Nancy, Daniaris, and Klla, as tlioy sat at tlicir noodles' Kllu had nia "II wore " '«' ."'° t'l"" 'l'"".«, «.ul at tl,o Lost „f ti„,os if was d.lhclt o.,„„^,l, to s,,„ro her One evening the throe .sisters were .ittin. ogethor ,n the twili^-ht at their nee.Iles T t bo>. were n the garden with Di, and t .trai of Franks banjo ca,ne floating in at the winlw rem .^0 to ti^e. They did not notice tlatt; had stolen m by one of the long wnidows and had eyes as ,f ,, sleep, and they spoke with the free- -lom heyd,d not usually i.Julge in when anyof the .non folk o the household were present, for >^ 1 a famdy rule an.ongst the sisters that the bro h^ were not to be needlessly worried over domesfe labo,,r ^ the house gomg at all by their united " You know, girls," said Nancy, " I don't want to make troubles before they come but I really don t see how we are to go on living m it at Eli: r . r.'"" '"'' °" ™^ - f-. ' ten w, "IT- ^^'^ """"y fo' the housekeeping ..3 b.j-, gave n,e I cannot >«ake last out! m THE nOf'TOn's DOZEN, 111 sitting,' ** and you know tlio winter is comin^t,', wliicli is ulways a much worse time. There will bo tires, however economical wo are in coal, and it is wretched for rhe boys to come homo to cheerless rooms, and the children must not sullbr. Then, unless they have a fire upstairs, they will have to bo down with us all day, and think of the wear and tear, and the worry to the boys when they come in to have the only warm room in the house a sort of bear garden. I get sadly worried when I think about things. In winter the children wear out more boots, and want warm clothes. Being in mourning is very expen- sive, for they are out-growing all their old clothes, and though Roly-Poly will be able to take Kit's and Chriss's, their own things will be no good again, and Kit and Chriss will want everything new," and Nancy heaved a great sigh. " We had hoped that all the little extra earnings would be saved against more expensive times, but " "Nancy," said Damaris, with some hesitation, " I suppose it never occurred to you that we might let part of the house ? " " Let it, Damaris, how could we ? " " Well, I know such things are done, though I suppose there are difficulties in the way. But the whole of our first-floor is standing empty three bedrooms and a dressijg-room, and a very nice boudoir." II is 112 THE DOCTOIl's DOZEN. Mothers boudo.r-theirroom," ,.hispered Ella ..nd naman.s bont hor l,oa,l over l.or noodle ™d wui-kod very fa.,t ,„, ^lio spoke on • "-iou don't suppose that I like the thou-vht of .t any bettor than you do, but there are the bo.; an.l the ch.I.lron to think of. If we had peopleTn I.OS0 rooms, and were paid for them, we h „W have the „eans to keep a proper staff of er ' ' r. „ ^^' ''°"''' ™"^ ''°»« "- « comfort .-.ble wolI.cooke,l .linnor, instead of the m^,ll give them now. Doesn't it „« , , one nf ,1, I , ^° *" >"»"■ •"'•ift when one of them looks round for something we ha™ l:lli. :\t~!''r.;;-»p™M„, and the winte. eome .pon t ifb'rf """" "P' The boys are most JZZ' ^:lX''lr:^!: h le ooonom,^s try them more [hfn they do ,1 L)Ut It IS bad for thnm T 1 ^ •'^ — starves himself thThe 1^^^^''" 'l^'^ '0 his poor parishioners/aCDa7b'a?""" recovered tone one bit am I "'""^ 'he poor living, after It :"M: J-""" t^„to. has something to do'^J^hT IZ, But Damaris suddenly broke off short and Fll» gave a httle startled exelamation for a daA fi «*nl.V .rode towards then,, ^U^:^^ THE doctor's dozen. Hg to bo towering over Damans as he stood between licr and the dusky window : "And so because things have been bad enough before, you want to go and malte them ten thou- sand times worse, and make the home into a sort of supenor 'odging-house, and bring us home to a la dmner, but a dinner, forsooth, shared by a abble of people who would eall themselves our masters, order you girls about like servants, and grumble that they did not get their money's worth .f anythmg went wrong with the cooking You must be mad to think of sueh a thing, lave we no paraded our poverty about enough as it is with- out gomg and turning lodging-house keepers into the bargam? You with your nursing, EUa wUh her pamtmg, Frank with his organ-sufiy we ha™ sunk low enough without thi. last drop in the Zl h„md.at.oa I . ,1 you, girls, we brothers w II no submit to sueh an arrangement for a moment. Put the house up for sale any day if yo„ ohoose Let us hide our heads in a cottage and live on porndge and potatoes if you ™U. I have nothing to ay agamst that. But to have a pack of ins" lent strangers sharing the home with us and paradmg their wealth before us in our povert;!^ that we wdl not submit to for a moment. We have come down the hill with a run, it is true bul we have not sunk to that level, let me never H 114 TilE DOCTOll'S DOZEN. hear another word of lodgers," and J^ax flung him- self from the room and banged tie door, whilst Nancy and Ella exchanged half-frightened glances. and Damaris laid down her work with a smile and a sigh. " Poor Dax," she said softly. " Dax is so different from the others. Edmund and Oswald would never have spoken so. But it would not be like that really, would it, Damaris ? And it would be so hard to leave the dear old home." "It would not be like that at all, dear," answered Damaris, with a smile ; " we should be very particular to have only the right sort of ' lodger,' and if we kept a common table for the sake of economy in time and labour, anybody stay- ing in the house would have private rooms, and would no more wish to share ours than we should wish them to. Twelve in a family would be what most persons would call ' a caution '—though we do not agree in that dictum. But perhaps for the present we may let the matter drop and see what happens. I know Dax is looking forward to some experiments he is making, which he hopes will bring him in something considerable, though I don't like to be too sanguine about anything so uncertain. Still, for a month or two we may be content to wait and sec. If we can't make ends meet % ".;^ ;--.-V'^^«,«R)»MiWli;^-4";iftic»t.aifc.-M, 3 flung hira- door, whilst led glances, a smile and . Edmund io. But it , Damaris ? e dear old all, dear," ! should be ht sort of >le for the ^body stay- rooms, and we should Id be what though we ajis for the I see what rd to some hopes will though I lything so /e may be ends meet THE doctor's dozen. H^ by the close of the year we must all put our heads together and think seriously what is to be done It is easy to talk glibly of selling the house, but it might be long in finding a purchaser, and mean- time " " While the grass grows the steed starves," said Ella with a sigh. " Oh, dear, I wish being poor was not so difficult." "We shall grow used to it in time," said Damaris, cheerfully, "and I do think it has tau-ht us to know each other as we have never done before. It is the painful contrast with old days which of course we feel more in this house • that IS the trying part of it. I am not really uncom- tortable about anything myself except Dax But I do not like to see him going on month after month With so little elasticity about him^so little like his old self." "Perhaps he will bo better when the cold weather comes," said Ella. "People say the spring and summer have been very tryino- I am sure the summer is. Even nurse is complaining, to-day, and saying she hardly knows how to hold up her head." Oswald was finding in his parish that there was an unwonted press of work which fell the more heavily npon him that his Rector had gone away lor a fortnight, leaving him in sole char-e There 116 THE doctor's dozen. was a good deal of low fever down by the water- side, and it was bitterly hard to have case after case to visit where all that was wanted was " kitchen physic," whilst he had not the means to meet half the demands made upon him for soup, jelly, and wine. There were doles, to be sure,' from the parish; but he had been used in his father's time to supplement these by generous orders upon butcher or grocer, and by baskets full of delicacies from home. And never had he felt the pinch of poverty more keenly than he was doing now, WearUy wending his way up an attic stair one day, he was surprised to hear a sweet and clear gu-l's laugh issuing from the room he was about to visit. ^ Opening the door and entering, he stopped short in amaze to find himself confronted by a ftiiry-like figure which seemed as if it must bo the product of a dream. A peculiarly radiant-looking young girl, very small and slight, and arrayed in spotless white of some diaphanous texture, stood with a great bunch of roses in her hand beside the bed of the sick girl Oswald had come to visit. Upon the bed was a basket, and its contents were spread out on the coverlet, and seemed to comj)rise every dainty that was needful to tempt an invalid's appetite. The visitor was laughing gaily at che astonished dehght *ft*V-«Wi^i:ajlWSi»16S«i(M,;aW«»,a*lW*«^3«.vi^ THE doctor's dozen. 117 f the water- 3 case after wanted was le means to im for soup, to be sure, ased in his y generous baskets full lad he felt lan he was ic stair one and clear as about to he stopped mtcd by a lust bo the girl, very 3s white of reat bunch le sick girl bed was a ut on the iainty that ;ite. The ed delight of the little patient, and as Oswald appeared and stood in mute amaze before her, another silvery laugh rang out, and she made a step forward, extending her hand as if to an old friend. "How do you do, Mr. Oswald Inglehurst ? Oh yes, I know all about you, and I don't see the fun of being ceremonious. I learned the other sort of thing in America, where I have been two years, and it 's ever so much better than the stitf ways of Europe. I don't know much about England yet, but I'm longing to, because I have always called myself an Englishwoman all my life, though other people say I am a regular cosmo- politan (as if such a small person could be any- thing so terribly ponderous). I know all about you ; for I met Bertha Greysart in New York, and we were great friends. Wasn't it odd my cornino- to Fossbury after that ? But England 's such a little place, you see. And I hope I '11 soon be friends with your sisters. Bertha says there are no girls like them in all the world." Oswald went through many stages of surprise and mystification, but gradually as thu girl talked on in her peculiar and very musical voice (with the distinct enunciation often found in those who speak in many ditFerent tongues), and with an mtonation rather than an accent somewhat diirerent from that of an English-born subject, he gradually I . ] ns THE doctor's dozen. began to have an idea as to the individuality of the j^'ir] ro whom he was speaking, tliough ho was greatly at a loss to account for her presence there. " I think I shall not be far out when I guess that I have the honour of addressing Miss Olga de Witt ? I have heard of your arrival at Fossbury with Baroness Steinmetz ; but I certainly did not expect to find you here." "Didn't you ? No, I suppose not, but I guess you will get used to seeing me around your parish before long." Miss Olga sometimes indulged in small Americanisms as she talked, but always with the daintiest little air imaginable, which made her altogether charming. " You know my cousin is a doctor—Giles Leland— what a pity he has such a terrible name as Giles— I can't think what his mother was thinking of to give it him. But it wasn't he who sent me here. When I told him that I wanted to have a district and do a lot of good, he just turned up his nose at me, and called me ' Baby '—that young man requires a good deal of snubbing, I think, and he shall get it too. However, last night I found a woman— a char- woman she was— cleaning down the corridor of the hotel we are staying in, and she was crying. So I stopped and asked her what was the matter, and she told me about her daughter here. So to- day I came to see her, and she tells me there are THE doctor's dozen. 119 'idunlity of igli ho was L'licc there, en I guess ss Olga do Fossbury ly did not It I guess 3ur parish dulged in Avays with made her 3usin is a as such a what his But it told him a lot of nd called jood deal b it too. -a char- rridor of s crying. ) matter, So to- iierc are lots of sick folks round about here, and that there 's nobody to visit them but Giles and you. So I said directly I hoard that, ' I '11 go to Mr. Oswald Inglehurst and get him to give me a dis- trict,' and so I 'm ever so glad to have met you so soon. Now don't you go and call me Baby too, and tell me I 'm no use except to be looked at. It isn't true a bit, and it makes me very angry." "Indeed I shall say nothing of the kind," answered Oswald, greatly entertained by this new specimen of a girl, but sufficiently at home with the race to feel no embarrassment ; " but I can't give you an answer offhand exactly. I think I must come and pay my respects to the Baroness first, and ask her what she thinks about it all." Olga laid down her roses upon the sick girl's bed, and clapped her hands delightfully. " Oh, will you really ? How charming of you ! Auntie will be so glad to see you. She loves company, and she is the most beautiful old lady who ever lived. You shall come and talk it all over with her. She is an old dear, and always gives me everything I want in the end. Of course she will be shocked at first — everybody will persist in thinking me a baby still. But she is getting used to being shocked with girls and their ways since we have been in America, and I really think she begins to enjoy the sensation. When will you 120 TlIK IIOCTOU'S DOZEN. eomo? ricso come to.fli«:i ast liim and was gone, leaving him ratlier under tl>e impression that he had been the victim of i optical illusion. " ' -^ i" o'clock, iiin cott'co ho Tr]i>h soliold to '1 stay at shall ex- sider you 5t before nd as to 3 uncon- 'd flitted 3r under m. of an CHAPTER VIIT. SWALD was quite ready, when four o'clock came, to pay liis rosi)ects to the Baroness Steinmetz, of whom he had heard a good deal by this time, principally from the -.oice of rumour; but he desired to have the countenance of one of his sisters on his appearance before the travellers, and Damaris Avas the one whose duties upon that particular afternoon permitted her the relaxation. The advent of Mrs. Leland had made something of a pleasant break in the monotony of the dull summer holiday month so far as the girls and tho chil.lren were concerned. As a matter of fact, and quite unexpectedly to themselves, they had all fallen in love upon the spot with their enemy's mother. Perhaps it was something in the exceed- ing motherliness of the sweet old face which had caught the affections of the motherless ^irls • perhaps it was tho ready comprehension and tender sympathy she had from the very first 121 I r 122 THE doctor's dozen. :■( i ovincod for tlicm in all their little perplexities and troMblos. But from some cause or another they all took to her, and now she Avas a welcome visitor at any time. Di was often slipping through the garden and out at the door behind the surgery into the quiet street where the Lelands lived, and Mrs. Leland quite looked upon her in the light of a regular companion for her daily marketino-s in the town, which she liked to do in person °Tho elder girls found her invaluable as a referee on all vexed household questions, and in the short space of a fortnight she had grown to feel towards them like an old and valued friend. Of the son thev saw little more than of old. and though ,^hey no longer spoke of him as the " horror," they did not specially desire closer acquaintance at present They still thought him hard and sarcastic and a trifle "uppish," whilst the boys, who of course did not see much of Mrs. Leland. were rather disposed to chaff the sisters for so promptly "going over to the enemy." The girls had been rather afraid that with the advent of the Baroness and her niece the friend- ship with Mrs. Leland would experience a check She would, they feared, be called upon to spend considerable portions of her time with her cousin and no doubt the Olga of whom they were frequently hearing would take the place that Di THE doctor's dozen. 123 now held as companion to Mrs. Loland in her walks. Di's scliool would bo oponin<,' before long, and her tinio would bo no longer her own, and then by the time the next Christmas holidays came she would find her place filled up. Damaris was rather amused to find how com- plete was Mrs. Leland's subjugation « ' the rather brusque and untamable Di ; but she thought the influence very good for the girl, who was in danger of grooving into over abruptness and frankness now that the gently controlling eye and hand of the mother was no longer there to check and guide ; and the elder sister was very glad to take an early opportunity of paying her respects to Mrs. Leland's relatives, who night possibly turn out to be as charming as herself. Certainly Oswald's account of Olga had been prepossessing, and new people were always more or less interesting. They found the Baroness and her niece comfort- ably established in the best rooms at the hotel. They had acquired the knack of old travellers, and were able to make the most of their surroundings and give them something of a homelike look even if they were only staying for a short time. Their quaint old parlour was a perfect bower of roses and other summer flowers ; some of the most uncom- promising of the chairs had been draped with pieces of Oriental needlework, and the tea equipage upon r 134 TIIK nO(TOK's nnzEN. '"I'l". -Inch she W tr" ■''""" """"""■ '•ecoHcl tho g„ost. win, .1 "■"'''''■ Slic o.Xf-no., J :«,':'"'"« --''•"'"y and 'o of i ."I i her animated young conipanion. Daniaris and Oswald both fell at once under the spell of her beauty and her unconscious statelincss. They felt somewhat as if in the presence-chamber of an empress or queen. But there was no lack of conversation. The Baroness was a true gentlewoman as well as a woman of the world, and nothing like an awkward pause could well occur in a company over which she presided. Olga dispensed tea and coffee, perched herself upon the arm of her aunt's chair, and began coaxing and pleading for tho " district " upon which her heart was set, rather (or so Damaris thought at first) as though it were a new toy and a thing to bo provided for her especial delectation and anuisement. The Baroness asked a good inany questions of Damaris as to what it was usual for girls in her position to do in such matters. Damans frankly told her that they, as the daughters of the doctor of the place, had from childhood been accustomed to \isit more or less amongst the sick and poor. As children they had accompanied their mother or nurse ; as they grew older they had often gone alone or in couples. No doubt their father had been careful as to what class of house he allowed them to enter ; but no bad results of any kind had ever come to any of them from such visiting. I I 120 THE DOCTOR'S mZEN. f( than half the Sl^l^ ","" °'™^- loft their own countrv T ! ''"""''^ ''»™'' -COS I have iCn^ri',*'^ °f tho o.pori. m"oh of the world »f . ^ ^''^' ^ '^'>«»' as ■•» all their livl yt , 'it,'^, "^^ "-en „o ^>eg.ars taking «« ,•„ ^ Z^"^} 3'o» IWocritical at Oswald with an areh Ihh , ^^ *" '*"''''='• ■>;.- to ..poet thItVi ' ; :: ';^ f ^"»•- al.vo to the realities of life and f ^ ""^ ""o '>» Jainty appearance w ,,d lead '"""^ '' *'™ "I will talk to Mr Oswald T iT ° "'l'^"'- a little, my dear » AlTt ^"«'''''"'^t about it Ofea took fhe lint d ,: T" l'"^"^' -'I ^^ndowovo.:^^^^^^^^^ ^°" ■"•« Damaris, are you not i nurses ? " was the first nml ""'—*'"* ""o that " You can't think W '' r"'"=°''" ''™««<'»- have a sister who paint / t ' ^""' •■'"■ Y»u ^P'ondid ; I wish 'yorco^' ^ T 'T'''^ -^ J-' talks about you. Oh „„ . " ^"^ '^^^xiy in America too. B„n-'t K , ''". ""'^-"i?''' over i ™'' °f "'l™red and adored y'o^alltf""^ '"'" know I should see you in the teh Tif f-' T I was .,0 glad to see Oswald pt , " ''''> ■"« forward for calling '„:„,f"^« 'J-n't think y- «ee I got into th: wa^ i'^/""' '""" ^ ■""' ■^ " '" America, when THE doctor's dozen. 127 f^re of my. iips never he experi- know as 'omen do pocritical le looked Daiiiaris 'as more ide than xpecfc. about it tly, and ay to a le that estion. You fe just ybody ' over ■ true, ever why hink but ^hen I was always hearing about you and how splendid you were. I do so want to know you all. You should just have heard Bertha going on about you. It 's Edmund she 's engaged to, isn't it ? " " Oh, hush," said Damaris quickly, but begin- ning now to understand these mysterious allusions to America. " I suppose you have been meeting Bertha Greysart " " Yes ; we were ever so long in the same board- ing-house—you know everybody nearly lives in boarding-houses in New York— and we two what they called chummed together, and she told me all about everything. It was whilst I was there that the news came about that fearful accident, and Bertha was so awfully cut up I thought she would have had an illness. Of course it was enough to make her, and she did nothing but talk about you all for nights and days together. Did she ever write to Edmund ? " " Oh no ; it would not have been right. She wrote to Nancy. Don't you understand, Miss De Witt " • "You're to call me Olga," interrupted that imperious little person. " I intend to call all of you by your names, and if you won't do the same I shall feel most awfully snubbed." " Well, Olga then," answered Damaris, smilin"-. "If you know so much about us, it is fair yo°u 128 THE doctor's dozen. I- should knowa httio more, anrt you must ple.,se not s»y a word about Edmund's engagement to liortha As a matter of faet, they never were engaged, but they were mutually attached, and it was always thought that as soon as she eame home from her visit in America they would be formally engaged. But our-trouble-has made everything difterent. idmund, instead of being pretty well to do and able to support a wife, will be a poor man or a long time-perhaps all his life-and until tne children grow up- " J ?',''^f ?° '"'" *" """ *«""■" «ied the ammated Olga, mterrupting. " Of course I know every bit of that-how Edmund went to Mr Grev- sart and told him that he could no longer aspife to his daughters hand-isn't thatgrandfy putL and how Mr. Greysart agreed that it must not be thought of any longer, and wrote to Bertha to explain everything. But do you think Bertha is going to agree to give up the only man she ever loved just because he is poor, when she will have money enough to keep them both ? 1 wish you could have heard her reading her father's letter and eommentmg or. it. It would have done yoj good, I know ! " : ■' Damaris's eyes were very bright, but her answer was gravely spoken. " ^'^' J5e«ta-it was like hor. I guessed by THE doctor's dozen. 129 must please jagement to never were 3hc(l, and it came home be formally i everything pretty well be a poor i life — and ' cried the rse I know ' Mr. Grey- iger aspire ily put ? — ust not bo Bertha to Bertha is I she ever will have wish you >r's letter, done you 3r answer essed by what she said to Nancy that she had not changed. But, dear Olga. there are many things in the way. 1 do not think Edmund would ever ask a rich woman to be his wife in present circumstances— I am not sure that it would be right for him to do so " "Not if he loved her and she loved him with all their hearts ? Oh, Damaris, how can you say such a thing ! Do you mean that you put nasty, dead, cold money before real true love ? Oh, I am ashamed of you. I thought you could rise supe- rior to that silly, proud, senseless feeling that people in books are always ruining their happiness over." Damaris smiled, but also shook her head. " There is a great deal to say on both sides of the question, Olga, and if you were ever to be poor you would find out that you were prouder than you had thought when you were rich. I do not think the pride of poverty is as mean and foolish a feeling as you imply, though no doubt it can be carried too far. But leaving Edmund's pride out of the question, there is Bertha's father to be con- sidered. She is an only child, and she ought to think of her father before anybody else. He has been most loving and indulgent to her all her life. It would be a poor return if she were to fly in tlie face of his expressed wishes, and set his word at defiance." ■; 1 130 THE doctor's dozen. i* I Olga's eyes were dancing with fun. " You dear, conscientious, virtuous person — how you do go on ! You don't understand Bertha's position in the least. She isn't going to defy her lather ; she is a good, dutiful, affectionate daughter — quite a pattern ; but then she has a pattern father too — at least so she tells me, and she can twist him round her little finger when she has him in the flesh. Oh, you needn't shake your head like that. I 'm sure it 's a merciful Providence that gives us poor womankind the art of wheedling. I don't know how I should have lived without it. Bertha is just ' lying low ' now and biding her time. Her father has told her to extend her visit and she will obey him. He hopes she is learning to forget — really she fs building the most delightful castles in Spain all the while. She will come home some day. Meanwhile Mr. Greysart will have seen how splendidly you have all behaved, and will be half wishing after all that he could have Edmund for a son-in-law, and be feeling perhaps sometimes a qualm at having been so wilHng to avail himself of Edmund's offer. He has no son himself, but plenty of money. He will be thinking sometimes that a good son-in-law without money would suit him better than an objectionable creature with a fortune of his own. Edmund is in the business nobody could be so suitable for a partner. And THE doctor's dozen. 131 person — how and Bertlia's ? to defy her ate daughter IS a pattern and she can she has him 3 your head •vidence that beedling. I without it. ng her time, r visit — and learning to It delightful > will come irt will have '■ed, and will ive Edmund s sometimes vail himself himself, but ' sometimes would suit cure with a business — tner. And then there will be Bertha coming home with her story— and with no new lover dangling after her —but her heart still in the same place. And then you will see — ah, you will see ! " Olga nodded her head saucily, and sliifted from foot to foot in a sort of little impromptu dance. Damaris could not help looking 3ager and excited ; but all she said was : " Well, Olga. if all this is going to come true , nobody will be more delighted than I ; but please do not talk about it to the household at largo. It would not do for such a possibility to be clis- cussed or even too much thought of there : and a large family is dreadful for letting out secrets." "I will be discretion itself," answered Olga with laughing eyes, and Damaris felt that she might trust the promise, for she was beginning to see that this vivacious little fairy had a very decided will of her own and no lack of character. Oswald had been charmed with the Baroness, and was in brighter mood than he had been for long. It was- distinctly good for the Inglehursts as a family to see fresh faces, and make acquaint- ances with persons who had no associate ns with the past. With old friends who had known their parents words were constantly being spoken, or inci- dents recalled, that awoke very p.ainful recollections At tunes the family had been disposed to shirk 11 i H ! 132 THE DOCTORS DOZEN. visiting of any kind, and sliiit its doors against the world. With these new friends no such dangers existed, and Oswald and J)aniaris liad ncvin* looked brighter than they did when they walked home together after that introductory interview. And it was destined that the tic between the Inglehursts and these strangers was to be strength- ened rapidly. Only three days later, as the family were at the late tea which was dinner to the boys, who had been out all the day, a has'y ring at the bell startled them all, and the maid announced that Dr. Leland wished particularly to speak to Miss Damaris for a few moments. " If that fellow is going to presume to send you to some patient of his, just you refuse straight away to go," said Dax sharply, as Damaris rose to her feet. " It 's intolerable enough to have you at old Medlicot's beck and call ; but if that Leland fellow tries it on with you, I shall just give him a piece of my mind, and I don't think he 11 do it agam. Oh- This ejaculation, which did not express any great dismay, was caused through the speaker's having turned round (in resjionse to some very significant kicks from Frank) to find that Giles Leland was himself in the room, the maid having beckoned him thither in her rather too free and easy fashion. If he had heard Dax's incisive THE DOCTOll's DOZEN. 133 against the ich dangers liad novt^r tlioy wallvcd interview, jctwccn the be strengtli- is the family to the boys, ring at the announced to speak to to send you ISC straight naris rose to have you at that Leland t give him a he'll do it 3xpress any he speaker's > some very I that Giles Tiaid having 'oo free and ix's incisive remarks he took no notice, but addressed himself to Damaris : "The Baroness Steinmetz has been taken ill with one of her attacks of the heart, and Olga has sent me to ask if you will be so very kind°as to come and stay with her for an hour or two, until it has passed off. My mother, it so happens, has a bad headache, and is unable to be of any assist- ance ; and these attacks, though not exactly dangerous, are sufficiently trying to be alarming to a young girl, and the maid is of no use in illness." " I will go at once," said Damaris, moving to the door. " Many thanks. The carriage is here. I wiU drive you if you allow me. I am going back immediately with some drug which I think mav give relief" *' Damaris was already gone, and with a slight bow to the assembled family, Dr. Leland was retu-mg also, when Nancy offered him a cup of tea, which he accepted, whilst Dax, who had been looking very liuitinous all this time, pushed back his chair and rose to his feet. " I do not exactly see why my sister is to be at the beck and call of the whole town like this," he «aid. " If this Baroness of yours is subject to these attacks, why in the name of common sense does she not have an attendant of her own, who can be I 1^ ; I !i ill 134 THE doctor's dozen. Of some use on such occasions? I must confess I cal this summons an uncommonly unprofessional sort of thing." "I quite agree with you," answered Giles equably " I should certainly never dream of takmg the liberty to request Miss Damaris's service m any professional capacity ; but to bring her a personal message from a girl who spoke as though ^e two were friends I have no hesitation in doing ^y httle cousin said she was sure Miss Damaris would come to help her for a few hours, and I confess I saw nothing very extraordinary in the suggestion. I am sorry if I have given offence Another time, if such a thing should happen, I will direct Olga to write a note, and send it by her own messenger." Bax felt that he had got the worst of it, and had put himself in the wrong. It was not a pleasant ieelmg. and just now he was more prone to harsh speeches than he had ever been in his life before He turned away from Giles Leland as though he had no more to say to him, and remarked to his sisters in general : " Well, the way you are all taking up with a rabble of strangers is a mystery to me. One is sick of the very names of these wonderful new friends. I saippose it's all right for those who I^ke It, but I know I wouldn't have my sisters 1st confess I nprofessional vered Giles, r dream of aris's service bring her a e as though )n in doing-. iss Damaris )urs, and I lary in the '^en offence, ppen, I will by her own it, and had a pleasant e to harsh life before, though he ked to his ip with a • One is -erful new 'hose who ay sisters TllK doctor's DOZKN. I35 ordered about by everybody if I could help Damans was back before the silence with which this speech was received had been broken Dr Leland carried her off to the carriage, and Di broke out impatiently : " Dax, I wish you could be just decently civil to Dr. Leland ; " and then she broke off, flushing hotly at the remembrance of her own rudeness now many weeks old. " Oh, so ho is added to the list of pets, is ho ?" askea Dax, tauntingly. " Well, there certainly is no accounting for taste." i r M h CHAPTER IX. |AMARIS found that her presence beside tlie sick bed of the Baroness was such a relief to Olga that she not only remained with her the whole night but consented to wait until the patient was fully recovered. These attacks, being only recent in their occurrence, were not a little disquieting to Olga, who had never been used to illness either in her- self or in her aunt ; and the distressing nature of the paroxysms of breathlessness and acute pain was enough to try the nerve of a more experienced person. Frequently, however, the invalid was at ease, and quietly sleeping for many hours together, and then the two girls left the maid in charge', and enjoyed themselves after their own fashion' exchanging confidences and growing really inti- mate, learning more of each other's character than would have been possible under ordinary circum- stances in so short a time. It was during these hours so spent that OW 136 ^ b > THE DOCTOU's J)OZEN. 137 "^'c-gnffTcnrr^i sencG bosiclo !ss Avas such not only rliolo night it was fully 3ent in their ig to Olga, her in her- J nature of acute i}ain ixperienced ilid was at 's together, in charge, ^n fashion, 'eally inti- acter than ly circuni- bhat Olga, mess, with characteristic frankness and 1 to Daniaris of the hope she had already begun to cherish (suggested by a conference between her aunt and Mrs. Leland), that some day she might be an inmate of the red brick house behind the row of lime trees— her hope that the Inglehursts would consent to lot them occupy their vacant suite of rooms, and take them in as boarders for at least a coi.ciderable period. " It is the very thing I had set my heart on ever since the uoctors told auntie that she must settle down quietly somewhere, and she said she would like to be near the Lelands. I have just longed to have a home, and see what home life in a family is like. I had never thought of anything so delicious as being with you. But oh, Damaris, do think about it a little. I know auntie has said that she would pay ten guineas a- week for a nice suite of rooms in a gentleman's house, where we could take luncheon and dinner with the family, and have no cares of house-keeping. Of course, wine and extras, and the maid, if we brought one, would be paid for separately ; and I 'd much rather not be bothered with a maid, if there were nice servants in the house, who would help me sometimes if auntie were very troublesome. This woman is a perfect gaby— no good at all. And I always do auntie's hair myself. No one can ) t n 1,1 138 TIIK UOCTOU's DOZEN. •ii«ko l,er look 80 nice as I. i ,,„.., ,, . . s .o.,l,l bo so very troublesome D iLis""';: :''""''' "»' ''°«- you with our compar:h,„^: wore not wante.1 ; an.I I should always ifno. Do ndeed, we have sometimes thought of some sul plan ourselves ; but so far we have taken no step Dax has been against it, and we are rather a S boarders m.ght not like the children " "The children are the best part of it. Roly. should be close to Giles vln ' '"'' '™ with an attack. Ob tre ' 0117 ""• "*'" trreat hnr..,, avu , "^' "doming m in a great hurry. Why, he saw auntie only two hours agcj. I wonder uhat is the matter now." The moment that Damaris caught si-^ht of the ^Itntt^^°\"^-^^'-^'»'«'e e tarn tha there was bad news in store for her -djus first words showed that she had not diWned "Miss Damaris," he said, " I have just had „„ u.-gent summons from the works Cere 1 ! f ■ t think WG laris. Wo ly when wo know. Do ill this, and I certainly md Nancy, some such n no steps, her afraid it. Roly. I to use — . t be tire- knocked and wo as taken g in in a wo hours t of the she felt for her, > divined had an THE DOCTOll's DOZEN. 131) was very pale, but perfectly sclf- re vour brother is mannc^er. Tiiere has been an accident, and ho lias been hurt in some way. I do not know any particulars. I am on my way there now. I came to speak to you. Would you wish to come with me ? Or will you return home to make ready there?" Damaris possessed. " I will go with you, please. Olga will send a message home, I know." Three minutes later the carriage was rapidly threading its way through tho streets of tho town, and Damaris, leaning back and closing her eyes for a moment, spoke unconsciously half aloud. "I always knew it woul ^me some day." " What would come, Miss Damaris ? " She glanced up quickly, and caught such a sympathetic look shining out of those keen brown eyes as she had not known them capable of express- ing. She answered readily and frankly : " I have been afraid Dax would break down. I know he has been unhinged and out of health ever since that other accident. Ho was the only one of us who saw it, and he has never got over the shock. I have had a horror that something would happen to him.. I know that his work wants much nerve and steadiness. I have tried to speak to him sometimes, but it was worse tiian useless. 1 i r: ii i^i I I ]'' 3 4 140 1) I ! i> i ! THE DOCTOK's DOZEN. That dreadful irritability of his was all part of i. cause frightful imtation t fs 1 "Tt fT -lady. Your brother has el oS m ' since I knew him t u ^ooKing ij] ever chronic titTl;. "'^^''" '° """'^ 'hat it w«s of thS; '■ Hfh'"" ""f "^^ "-« ^'-"="-' his life It h«? ™™'" '■"'' " ''"^'^ '""^^^ in , "''• " has been unnatural to tliint „f i • being out of health " ^ °^ """^ *^ encouragingly • and thon f i, ' '^°^^^^' o S^/ , ana then the carnage rolled benpof i. -.pa.ofS:;:l\as:f;r' mg machmery was audible. Damaris ZrlJ white as .he descended from th 3 .m 7'^ — was perfectly eal. and Xrine"d ''^' The senior manager, to whom Dax acted »» assistant, came hurrying forward "^ "Thank Heaven you are come, sir," ho said It has been u shocking piece of h„«i„J , " '"'^ °f '''« machmery, which I i» i THE doctor's dozen. 141 thought once we never should do till you came. It is the arm which has suffered. It is a mercy it was not torn from the socket ; but ho had the presence of mind to stop the %-wheel, and that saved his life. He is in the office now. AVe got him carried down the ladders before we could do anything for him. There was terrible bleeding at first, but we applied ligatures as well as we could, and it has ceased to a great extent. Is that lady his sister?" And the man, catching sight of Damaris for the first time, took off his hat, and wished he had been more guarded in his words. But Damaris felt something as Dax had done when he had visited the scene of the railway accident, and she followed the two men to the office without a quiver of weakness. Warm though the day was the manager had had the sense to have a huge fire lighted in the room, and beside this fire wrapped in a warm rug, Dax was lying back, his face drawn and as white as death, his eyes closed and circled with deep shadows, whilst his right arm was covered with a cloth, which was almost soaked through with blood. Damaris went forward and bent over him. " Dax," she said, softly. The heavy eyelids were raised, and Dax looked up in her face. i 42 THE DOCTOR'S DOZEN. "Is thiit you, Damaris?" The words were barely audible. <' What is it all ? " '' You have hurt yourself, and I have come to ook after you " she answered gently; and then, taking from Giles's hand the draught he had been mixing, she put it to her brothers lips, and had the satisfaction of seeing him swallow it. ^ " That 's a good thing," said the manager, draw- mg a deep breath. " I couldn't get him to take anvthmg.' "I must look at this arm," said the doctor, with his hand on Dax's wrist. "Miss Damaris, I am not sure that I ought to let you stay." She looked at him full and fearlessly. " I shall be very grateful if you will," she said, for I shall have to be his nurse. You know our old nurse at home is ill with a feverish throat, and must not attempt nursing yet awhile, and I have had experience of this sort of thing. I have been m hospital wards and have had surgical cases under my care. I think I shall be able to help you." " Hospital cases are different from one's nearest relatives," said Giles, studying her face quietly and mtently ; " but you shall do as you wish " " Thank you." answered Damaris. quietly, and then she came round and placed herself at his side to assist him in the task he had set himself to do! It was a terrible injury that was revealed to M THE doctor's dozen. 143 their eyes as the temporary bandages were removed. The lower arm and hand had escaped to a great extent, but the elbow was terribly crushed, and the upper arm was torn in a fearful way, the' bone broken, and the shoulder dislocated. Injuries so severe could not be treated in haste, but it was necessary to secure all the arteries before attempt- ing to move the sufferer, and this matter was quickly and skilfully accomplished by Dr. Leland, with the assKtance of Damaris, who -never once lost her seH ■ o/ii-aand or presence of mind. Dax was fully conscious, but only shrank and winced a little. He had lost so much blood that his con- dition was critical, and despite the heat of the fire he was cold, pulseless, and shiverixig, and it was with a very grave face that Giles Leland had him conveyed at last to the carriage. He had long since despatched a telegram for an eminent surgeon to meet him at the Inglehursts' as quickly as possible. Damaris sat supporting Dax's head, and the doctor occupied the opposite seat, seldom taking his glance from the death-like face, and occasionally holding the patient s wrist. Damaris did not ask if there were danger— she knew only too well that after such a shock and such an injury there must be danger for many days, even though no vital part was touched. She felt as if the drive home were all ■I I k I .' ■ i^' 144 THE doctor's dozen. part of some strange dream, and when she saw at the familiar door the wliite anxious faces of the sisters on the loolc out for the carriage, she was the first to slip out and go forward to meet them, "You must not be too much frightened," she said ; " he looks dreadful, but everything depends upon getting him to bed and letting him get over the shock. Is everything ready ? Is there a fire ? That is right. And somebody to help to carry him? That is very gpod. Di, dear, just go to the horses' heads and then coachman will help in the lifting. You were always friends with the horses : they will stand quiet for you." Di was only too glad to have some office assigned her. She did not dare to give more than one glance at the death-like face as Dax was carried into the house. Great scalding tears rose to her eyes, and a sob broke from her as she stood. But there was comfort in the thought that Mrs. Leland was in the house. They had sent to tell her of the trouble directly Olga's message had arrived, and she had lost no time in coming to them. She was like a tower of strength in their midst. For never before had the fatherless and motherless children so felt the need of the strong and loving care of parents in -uch a terrible calami t3^ When the coachman came back he spoke a few THE DOCTOll's DOZEN. 145 kindly words to little Miss Di, who i„ old days had been his favourite in the family "Bless you, Master Dax will pidl through like a house on fire, once he gets them bones mended " sa.d the worthy man ; "and he's in good hands I take .t. for they all say as Dr. Leland is a rare hand with a sorts of cases. Don't you fret. Miss Di. It U all eome righ', again. Master Dax has as many hves as a cat. He 'II be on his pins again mno time, you '11 see." Di tried to take comfort from the kindly-meant Z T^rfr, "'° N-»y »<1 Damaris and Afrs_ Leland had gone upstairs, but Ella, white and tearful, was lingering in the hall, listening for any call from above for what might be wanted. Di rushed into her arms, and for a few minutes thev mingled their tears; but then they started apart, for another carriage was driving up to the stiU open door, and the sisters recognised in the occupant who quickly alighted, an old friend of he,r fathers, who was associated with him some- times m difficult and dangerous cases. He spoke courteously to them as he passed upstairs, but his very presence in the house seemed an omen of evil ; and for long after there were caUs to the &om below, and once Dr. Leland came dashing O K J Li' 11 14G THE doctor's dozen. down the stairs three steps at once, and tore most unceremoniously across the garden to the surgery and back-a liberty he had never before taken! and which impressed the sisters afresh with tne urgency of the case. It seemed a terrible time of waiting ; but Ella was thoughtful enough to have tea prepared fnd brought into the dining-room, though the youn. maids were so demoralised by the excitement and fear pervading the house that the sisters had to do everything with their own hands. Still, it filled up the time, which was a good thing, and there were no more calls from Dax's room ; till at last here were footsteps on the stairs, and Nancy and l>amaris came in together. Di started up, and the question died upon her lips, but Damaris answered by a faint smile "They say he is better. They think he will s^eep. No. don't let us talk about it just yet Nancy IS new to such thing, and she is rather upset Yes, give her some tea, Ella, and she will be bet er soon. Good Uttle girls to have got it ready for us. Perhaps the doctors will like some before they go." Nancy had sunk down in an arm-chair, and was struggling to hold back her tears. Ella hung over her, caressing and tending her, until the tension passed, and the colour began to come back to her face tore most e surgery re taken, with tne but Ella ired and le 3'^oung lent and ad to do it filled id there at last ncy and pon her he will ist yet. rather ihe will got it B some nd was ig over ension Jr face. THE doctor's dozen. 147 had been enough to try her nerves too, and Di riterr^"" "''"^' ^"^ '"•°"='''' ■>-'- -^ refrained from any questions, only looking at her sometimes with eager, wistful eyes Damaris understood what that look meant and answered it. moanc, ana "They hope the danger will soon pass, but there was dreadful bleeding at tlie Le' ,nd sometimes there is fever or blood-poisoning after ^uoh ^juries, and then there is always d'ant wU tX """^T '^ '^ --f-'aWe.'and they loop wUr w "" "°" p^ y^'- «-' »1 Sleep will do him great good, and you know he has a splendid constitution." "How did it happen?" '■ I have not heard all the details, but I think it was like this. He was in the machinery room where they were trying some new effect/Td something went a little wrong, and tht" great no.se, and Dax started and stepped back 1 then h,s coat sleeve got caught in some oth wheel behind him, and was dragged into the works before anybody knew. He was ,hlo .0 -e> . , , , ^'"'^ wheel -.nA .. •. "' , ■ " ° ""'" "f some Wheel and stop ,t, or else he would have been !nl ! # lb b [jbii 148 THE DOCTOli's DOZEN. «™, too, which makes it „oi«" ^^''' agZ'" '' "" ^'' "'^ »- "f i' properly "That no one, I shoulj thinlc coiiKl t.ii -». Most .onderfu, cures .reZll: I have not asked anythin<. vet Tf ;<, i ! ' .ot>,„ndk„o,vover;thi„°.r„J?.''''^""-' ofth!:\;:;:,,t::'Ktr:"''""''™^^'f''- •■ Oh wl,,; .' ■■ T ■ """""^^ '«'™'''' at them ... 'l^" '''" P'-obaWy be much better to deal „!tb .11 than well," a„s„,rcd Damaris, with a „uch of her customary bri.-htness- "h,,, i °^ your little hL Cr1hat.'"t;:rhr? • concentrate yonr energies upon J^IJ^Z ^ messes out of nothing for the reSt"' patient The nursmg I arrogate to mvsrff r THE DOCTOR'S DOZEN. 149 " Three months," echoed Ella, a-hast • " .In mean that l,o will ho ill 1. T ' '"^ ^°" whutovershalljlr''''' '"^' '''''' ^^'^' " He may not bo really ill for so lono- " "11 these months." ''''"' ™' ■•"" '^<'™ » looHn! „?r '■'" .''°P''^^ *»''. f°^ Nancy ™s ooUng at her with troubled eyes. Di suLZt broke out almost wildly : suddenly " Oh, if mamma were only here i w„ so"rwht^rL''ree;c:^^::^°^- quivered again. Damaris ros' uiekfv To' ^ seatandkisseaeachoneofhersirfnt .''- and He 'x.''"'' '■"""S^- ^"'l t"ows best throuS :^It:vH'•■'"'™'"■'--- -u;thani„thei::::th"e::hlrserr;"' around us. I remember how deMtC ^:1 say so ; and if we have not her to heln . the trial that has come, I at^re thrj^ht wdl be to remember her words, and try Z ^ 'I' I); M jfi if . 1 ' I i 11 II- ^i 150 TIIK doctor's dozen. things as she would liavo dono had sho been here to faco them. And avo have cacli r.ther to love, and troubles do bind us closer and closer together! as I have felt again and again since our dear ones have been taken away. Dax has been the only one who has seemed to grow nioro apart through the trouble, and perhaps this fresh trouble to him and to us will be God's own way of rriyino- him back to us." "" "" hero love, ether, dear 1 the apart onblo iving CHAPTER X. THINK there must be a change of some kind to-night, Afiss Damaris. I shall look in at midnight to see liow lie is. If you want mo sooner you will not hesitate to send." Daniaris raised her tired eyes to Giles Leland's face with an expression of mute inquiry which touched him strangely. He knew so well what that look meant. "Our patient has a marvellously touf^h con- stitution," he said in a tone of kind encourage- ment. " He has struggled through so much as it is that I am quite hopeful he wUl pull tlirough. I cannot say more. I must not express grea°er confidence than I feel : but I have a distinct and well-grounded hope. I think after to-night I shall be able to form a better opinion as to the ultimate issue." It was half-past nine o'clock in the evening. Damaris, who took the entire charge of the nio-ht 151 " ir,2 THE DDCTOll'a DOZEN. |l f,. i^ax Had been fearful v ill for tl,„ past three weeks, and the toughness of ,„ f , constitution had been terribly tlV'' T^ his 0,™ person, but in that of his sw": L" ' *" nmongst his brothe.. and sis.e^ 1^ h" d TT had been enlisted. From motil f J "'^ -ueh as fron. those f":!;",; f f "" " had insisted en tending thru^.t" ^^^ and most devotedly had he been nursed 7,,^' His keen face softened to a lont ,.i,- i. u "ore than he intended troll Dalr.'' "''''^"^ lookin" at him H. / r ?^ Damans was not found tte'oldLtrtr.'^^""-''"'''^-'' -hL":;:^r:::r;i™~ ing too much for you." They are grow- ifi. V*., 1 THE DOCTOU'S DOZKN. 153 "Oh, no— -T must liavo hi,,, at nights. T w.nld not for unythin^^ that tho ..thors .sh.,ul,l k„„w h.,w 'Ircadhil tl,o ,i,.rl,ts so„ioti,ncs aro. Thoy l-avo enough as it is- and they rohovo mo of every- thm. but that. Nancy has tho.: ]o househoM on lier mind, as well as Dax, hy day, ,nd Ella is almost worn out as it is with ai .i;cy .„nd work I have Frank close at hand in th • bo.T./oom Ho always looks in two or three times in tho nii^ht and If I want him I ],ave only to knock on the wall ; and sometimes Oswald comes and sits with mo too ; but. poor boy, ho has too much illness in his parish for us to let him do much here at home Indeed, I am the only ono fit for it It will not always be as it lias been. There will be a change soon. But I must take him at nights till then, please." Giles looked at her steadily and then said • '' Very well. It is not foi- ,no to dictate ; but at east you shall not bo alone to-night. If you will allow me I will go across and t.ll my n,other and bring back some writing that I have to do, and I wil do It here. It will be more satisfactory to mysel for if there is a change to-night, as I exp'lct, I would rather bo on the spot without delay " The look of gratitude in tho girl's eyes was assent enough. If Dax had been a broL Z young doctor could not have been more devoted I i 'm most perplexing how to secure for hi,n the ~ rT'/^'^^-'^'^-^'^'- reeoveiy. Fever had set in and had ran danger the mjured arm. so that there had been grave fears that amputation would become necessary |„ ft however, there had always been the hopeof savn.: aU that If the fever did not abate shortly tlie patient must sink from exhaustior> ^ By day Dax generally lay pretty quiet, in the lethargy of complete prostration, sometimes Tarl movmg scarcely seeming even to breatho, and only ^sed w,th difficulty to talce the neces ary n„u' shment prescribed for him. But at nigl.t le fever per-sistently recurred, sometimes accompan d by strong dehrium, at others by attacks of terrible «.n durmg which Ve was generally fully consc u of h.s surroundmgs. and would address by name ni « THE doctor's dozen. t " " loo >!l any persons about him, as he seldom did by day. It was these nights that had so tried Damaris ; for she had the brunt of them to bear. Frank 'was often with her— always if he was awakened by sounds from the sick-room, or if she called him to her aid. But she seldom did this unless obliged, and the strain upon her had been very great- greater perhaps than any one realised. To-night Dax lay still and quiet as he had done all the day. She did not know whether or not to call it sleep, but still it was rest of a kind, and she longed for it to continue. It was generally about ten o'clock that the restlessness began to come on • but tho hour had struck some little time, and the sounds in the house had ceased, still he did not move, and she fancied that his breathing was a httle less rapid and feeble. And Giles Leland was in the house— there was great restfulness for her in that thought. He had been upstairs again to look at the patient and tell her that he was in. the library at work, and that she must send Frank for him the moment there was the least change. He had made her settle herself in the easy-chair by the fire, from which spot she commanded a view of the bed, and the room had been left dark and dim, lighted only by the gleam of the fire and the ray of a carefully shaded candle. Damaris lay back in her chair I I i\ : • n 156 THE DOCTOR'S DOZEN. Ifi o.notion or excitement "iT ™^"''"''S ™t closed, but werel 7 ''"' "^'•^'^ ^'^ "pon the hearth. Her mindL I ? °^ "■°"'' past-the home of !l i , 8""° •"** '» '!'» circle of W L;' "" "7V"* ''^ "°''™'»» their-tweCoW T , "*'''"'' ""'her and call thot Vt: a to : "' "^ '^■^<' '-ed to How the tend;rg,idiT„f°r," '""' ''^»' :he watchful stre„^:h i; to of theT.^" T' an^-^htthe/oSrS^iriff and crosses which hiH A>ii "^ ^"^'^ t% had been e«';h::."''°"'''^'"' ""''= - Jrtttnl'-^'-ho.e.and of-tobeaMe[ot:r:L'XL:r^^^^ her brothers and sist.,-, and son e7f 1 , '^'' -t: and as she mused t nirrf 'r ^ '"' the past months a»m;i„ f . , ^ "^^'^^ of lips, and hero' Z!e° , T''"'^""-™'' '«"• Pioious glean, of e^? Sh"° 'n '■°"^'' " ^"^■ — oftheear;:;4N---;:tt ^m doctor's dozen. 157 borne. She thought of Edmund and the uncom- plammg way in v,hich he had renounced, without a word, and as a matter of course, the nrospel most dear to the heart of .nan-a hon>e ™d ^ /r.r^T*"' '•« '™Stt take the father's pla^e wth the chddren here, aud strive to keep the ,d ^rii^fT ?!"""• ^'>-"--' Oswald v,th n,s hfe of strictest self-denial, his unremitting abours amongst tlio poor, his acts of almost ascetic solf-depnyafon, that his flock might not suffer more than was absolutely inevitable through hi, own lack of private funds. Latterly she had di covered that he had undertaken the copyin. of mus,c for the Abbey church, and had sat up'td one or two in the u,orni„gs over it, in order that he nught have something more to give away He never spoke of this to any one, and it was only acodent that revealed it to her. There was some thmg m the expression of the girl's eves as she thought of these things which showed how proud she felt of her brothers. And this self-devotion was not confined to the two elders of the family Had not Dax been labouring more and mo^e assiduously at l„s vocation, despite shattered nervel and visibly impaired health ? And as for Frank- dear Frank-was he not the verv sunshine of the house, although his prospects in "life were perhaps ■4 * li !*: ( {!• F I 'Hliil i I 158 THE DOCTOR'S DOZEN. the dreariest of all ? Had he not mthout a sinc^le murmur given up all idea of the career which had been marked out for him, and taken to a most monotonous and uncongenial life rather than add to the burdens of the heavily burdened household ? Ana smce this cloud of illness had rested upon them, had he not given up every sort of recreation and pleasure to come and sit with Dax from tea- tmie till he went to bed, that NaL j and Ella might have their evenings free after the long hours of watching by day ? Damaris did indeed feel that she had cause to be proud of her brothers. Of the goodness of the sisters she thought, perhaps, something less, though not the less tenderly. But it was always the mis- sion of women and girls to turn to and ...ep things going smoothly. It appeared to oe a part of nature s vocation. But men (young men, particu- larly) and boys were seldom brought up to think after this fashion, and it seemed to Damaris a touching and beautiful thing that they had each one so put aside personal wishes, personal advan- tage, and personal ambition, to work and think and labour for the good of the united family The interests of the weaker ones were to come first and the stronger ones could take care of themsdves ater. Ihe strongest, not the weakest, were to go to the wall, If any one did. The children were to hours THE DOCTOR'S DOZEN. 159 feel the difForonce as little as possible ; and Damaris knew well that one of Dax's motives in his unre- mitting toil had been to earn money enough to put Kit to some good school, as she herself was working to keep Di at hers. This fact had come out durmg D.' x's illness, when he had dropped words m his delirium that she had understood per- tectly. Had any girls such brothers as hers ? She looked towards the motionless figure on the bed and a quick stab of pain shot through her heart ' Was there to be a blank in the familiar circle of faces ? Was the " doctor's dozen " to be no lonc^er a dozen, no longer a complete number, as before ? bo far there had been no deaths in the younaer generation. Twelve children had been born in the dear old home, and the twelve had grown up there without one gap in the ranks. Was one of their number to be taken away now? Was the life that " had seemed to be the strongest, perhaps the most promising of all, to be cut off just on the threshold ot manhood's prime ? The thought was a very sad and solemn one— tlie more so, perhaps, to Damaris, in that she loved Dax With a very special love, feehng that she understood him better than any of the rest, and also that that she knew less of his heart and mind than she did of those of the other brothers. Had It been Edmund, Oswald, or Frank who lay there n ■.I': ■S 11 \f: ' 160 THE DOCTOll's noZEN. She would have felt confident that if th. n 11 it wnnlrl fl», 1 ^1 . . " ^"'^ cal name - - to' tor r^r «° '»'"' ^-'-'^ rcservoa whore "rdeopoh^'S "" ■ ^'"^ ""^ aa. was poouliarly silont. and she had n "3 '"";' ""^ ■« ^he had read the other. Ha 1^ ^nS;-::^:^.;!:-:- ^---n and ;'.o.a.thatl.i.o,es.eroo tan^U::^"^^ look n? at her with , f • ^ ™ ™'' Iip3. The fll If ; ""' ™'''^ "P» his white win^aChi^'^xitt^nhr;''"™^'' te«ih„ wasted and hollow, and L s'tfiLTf tl.e jaw was more marked than over Bn !l, eyes looked calm and natural in T ^' and Damaris felt a throb at h Lea t sh?""? knew whether it were „" ''^"''-^''^ scarcely ;ooked.orohan;:or::is:vjo„rt:j- for life or death ? ^^ ^^ "Damaris, is that you?" UkllS r" ^ ""' ^™ ■"-'"«' '■»''■ Ca.>yo„ He swallowed with more ease than before and agam looked at her long and earnestly. THE DOCTOIl's DOZEN. Id " Damaris, where is mother ? " ^o^L^'f/ ""T '''"" '" '•''P'y- H«d he for- ■.g.tated. She answered him by a question : i>o you want her, dear boy ? " " ^^^ *■" •'^f" just now," answered Dax " Did you not see her ? She came in at the door-she had on the dress with the white line in it that I hked so muoh-and she came and stood by the bed and looked at me. and held her hand over me and sa.d 'Peace/ You must have seen her You were m that chair by the fire all the Damans did not answer. A sort of awe feU upon her. Was the veil indeed so thin between the visible and the invisible world that her brother's eyes could p.erce it? Da^ woa looking through her, as ,t seemed, rather than at hel The™ was somethmg in his glance which awed yet com forted her. It was as if a deep peace had indeed fallen upon him. '• I thought she would have taken me with her - said Dax. .But she has left me here insteai. Dama„s_I can't remember-but read to me about the multitude in white robes that no man can number, for I know that * must be amongs" them, though she did come to me in th which 1 knew her." ■li i 111 m Q guise in 162 THE DOCTOIl's DOZEN. i « m.st of tears nsmg in her eyes the while. Bu words, and Dax lay with closed eyes, listening or sleeping, she scarcely knew which She had only just ended when she heard a sten on the sta., and the door was softly opened' She knew that Giles Leland had come in and was bending over Dax; but she still kept her 1 beside the table on which stood the shaded cldt her head was bent, and her hands were claspTd ti deep and silent emotion. ^ What would she have to hear when he came to her side again? The crisis had come-lthe change to be for Hfe or death » What was the import of that vision from the unseen land, which is not. perhaps, so ve^y fa from ours if we could but realise itV Wal k Z :Mt;th^-'"°^°'""'^p--»^^«ot vouch Led r"' ^Vt ^' '"' " ^■"-'' --" vouehsafed to one who had stood at the threshold of the everlasting gates, but who had been sent St :rd7"^' 'T "P"" ^"'■"- ^'-slnTd oLrlwe/ '""'""■ '"^ '"^O »- on the tat!t'T 'I ™ '"'^''So that Damaris should take her brother's words so literaUy and seriousTv Most watchers by a sick bed would Lve attS THE DOCTOll's DOZEN. 1(J3 the whole thing to an illusion of the weakened senses— a simple hallucination such as fever-patients continually experience. Somehow Daniaris never sought to explain it after this fashion. It seemed very natural to her that the mother should be near them at such an hour. Had she not been herself experiencing a wonderful sense of rest and calm ? Love IS stronger than death ; that Damaris truly .1 r/ ; . tf '"''^^ '^'' ^^'^^'^^"^ mother-love in that faithful heart would draw the mother towards her loved ones at this hour of intense anxiety and peril ! Surely she might have been graciously permitted to show herself to her boy-to breathe a single word to strengthen him either for life or death ! To Damaris it all seemed a natural and beautiful outcome of the eternal love of God- that love which is shadowed forth and reflected in the human heart of man. And as she sat still waiting for the sentence she knew must soon be spoken she was able to say, as she had never yet been able to do in her heart of hearts, "Thy will be done; "for she had received such a blessed assurance of the deep and tender love overshadow- ing them aU, that it no longer seemed hard to let Dax go. Was it minutes, or was it hours, that passed before the silence w..^ 'mken ? She herself could never have told. Eat at last she was aware that if' i i t 164 THK IjoCVOlls DOZEN. « haml was laf.I „po„ ],„, ,,,„„,,,^ Mamlsvoiccwasinhercar, " Ho will rfo now, Miss Damari,,. I , ,„ j,., boon a wonderful change for u,e better %t fever has ,o„o, and for H,e present the nain a so that he v,Il wake up out of all danger. I think you n,ay rest assured that the worst ts past " Damans could not trust herself to speak.' She «tood up and looked mto the kindly face b«^7 was taken ,n a close clasp that brought her back somewhat to the realities of hfe. Ser hps ™d. and she dashed her hand ..ross W eyes. '■ I think I am just a little upset," she said connnandmg her voice with difficuUy. "But oh D. Lcland, I an, v. grateful to' „u-:e ti are I do not know v.;,at we should have done r xr- ^°" '-- ^-" - ^-^ - - a" He still held her h-inrl tt,%, ^iu ner nand. His voice, too. v/as not quite under its ordinary control " I should like to think that yo. ul-^ never do -thout n.e any niore, Danwil, e." then qmckly recovering his usual manner, he aroivad her hand, and said : i THE DOP tor's DOZKN, iGf) " I will go and tell any of your brothers who may I'c up. This room must be kept perfectly quiet ; but T think there arc watchers in the house. You can rest yourself, though you will slay in the She bend- L It ; her ' lips her i room. every I he will u n b r o k e n 1 now." The young man was gone before she could find any words in which to I'cply, and Damaris sud- denly sank to her knees and buried her face in her hands "Oh ! mother, mother, mother ! " she cried in 'Damaris suddenly gack to her knees.'' 4 I ; illii it ni 106 THK norxoK's DO;iEN. -yl.,U. ,„.. have bcon .ith „„„ „,,„,,„ iJ I' iH: llM t very ilclron CHAPTER XI. jHE long terriblo strain was over. Tho danger had passed, and Dax was rccovcr- uig. The brothers and sisters were able to breathe once more, but it seemed as if there were other troubles ready to spring upon them the moment one loud of anxiety was removed. Nancy came to Edmund one evening with a very grave face, and he knew exactly what was coming before she spoke. " Edmund," she said, " I am so sorry. I have put it off as long as I can ; but I have to ask you for more money ; you see " " Of course I- see. I knew it must bo so We have had a terrible time of expense to go through, and though friends have been very kind to us ^ " Yes, I do not know what we should have done without those grapes, peaches, and jellies that were sent, and even now Dax often hardly touches any- thing else, iiut if you knew how meat has flo^vn 167 ft il ■ ' !f!] Ri 1G8 THE doctor's dozen. ^vlien there has been strong beef-,e ^vcry d.^, and then nurse has been e girls have been so taken tea to be made so poorly we m with the up nursing, " Of course, of coursp t ,.,„ the funds we. h„Wi„7„„/ ToC^! '" "' '"" have more. You know / ^'"" "'""' *.sh.beono„eifa„,thi„/eoX,:'""™^^ l^es, mdeed," answered Nanpv wlfi, • , then she hesitated a little a^d ,"*' """^ ■■Edmund I don't wti'otrrt ''*'■ I hate to bother you and w. . , '" ''''"- - ^-- possibj:\::tre '::s^Tr?7 not think we can go on livin^'i^v t ' ' ^ '''' -e n,ake some fort <^7ZT^°"'' ""''^ I don't think V n I , ^"^^^"^ arrangement. - in fS h'luseT:;'::,"^"^ -senses *- furniture or' carpet; Zre ll T T ""'"«" '"« Things are showing si^nof w ir „ . . ''"" "'""• ever to he roplace'd {Z'Z'ZZ" 'TJIT for I think vcMi ouo-hf m i. r ^ ^^^*^®»' .otonuporthrtn^'^r'Ln'V""''':™ the housekeeping without »!, T '^^ '"" *" children and you' T jt " '^ P'™"''"? the Da.naris and EIi: an Fra^V':,' ^ ^° """ to helu mo V , brought money heli, me. You knew about Dama™ and her THE doctor's dozen. 1G9 nursing, but Ella begged that her painting might be a secret, for she was afraid Dax would bo vexed ; and we could not bear him won-icd when he was' so unwell and irritable. But she colours photo- graphs, and touches up negatives for Mr. Fothergill, and she has done some designs for Wells and Turner, the art decorators, and has some com- missions for more. But smce Dax has been ill nobody has been able to do anything extra, and the money has just seemed to fly. Frankie has given me every penny he possesses, and I don't think the boy has clothes enough to take him through the winter ; he looks growing out of every- thing he has, and I know he has nothing of his own. Edmund, dear, please drn't look so troubled or I shall be sorry I have told you, but I did think " '■■• That I ought to know— and so I ought, Nancy I'ou are quite right to speak. I have been afraid for some time that we were wrong in trying to live on in this big house ; but it was hard to 'think of leavmg it. Still, we must face the future and its outlook manfully. Here is Dax now earning nothmg, and I am afraid to think what his future may be. I know Leland thinks his nerves have been fearfully shattered, and will not recover for a long time, so that his going back to the works is out of the question, even if he ever gets the use of 'f=l, 1 ii 170 ft ■ THE DOCTOR'S DOZEN. 'lis arm cacfain Anrl i.^ i change of'sceno atd Jna^ '" '''" " "-""g" g.von back to us from the dead t i, T ' '''"' I' - not the time to repL r T' '''"^■ seriously think about sometdLl T '""■ °""' way of living r .„„ "'"'"»« ™ oiT the ho„ J ^' ' ^"PP"^^ ™ "-t try and sell '-dt™..LtTdo" r-r'' "'■" ^''"'=^' -">- .^,. y ''"' ^ ''o""' know if you „,„„,j ,,.^^ -n-St'TaiSr^,,^^^^^^^^^ tive, Nancy ? " ^^^^^ '« ^^^ ^Iterna- a definite offer for them 1^! "^ """^ '» board with a fa5'of?hTt ;;rt ™"' people.' and offer ten ^ine: 'w^k'I .iT course, we^Ih^^ Zj'jJ"'''' ^'^ ^i ''i'cWaid. and twoTai tToir, rt '' work, m addition to nurse h;, T , '^'"'''""' -.^nthatwouMremr.:tfXrL.::d::: THE doctor's dozen. 171 and fifty pounds, or thereabouts, which ten guineas a-week comes to ni a year. I believe all the extra service, the extra fires, and extra Hvin^, would not cost three hundred, even if we did things on a very generous scale. And that puts more than two hundred into our pockets, in addition to the fact that we all live in the old fashion, with properly served and cooked meals, and no more of that pinching and paring which has been trying for us all, though you boys have been so good about it, and have never complained. Oh, Edmund, Damaris and Ella and I have talked it' over and over again ; but we were almost afraid to mention it to you boys. Dax did once hear us talking, and he was furious ; but then he was thinking of our keeping a regular boarding-house -— it does make a difference when our inmates would be people like the Baroness and Olga, who have been so wonderfully kind and sympathetic and friendly all these weeks. I 'm sure the fruit and flowers they have sent— and oh, Edmund, when it comes to the choice between that and turning out, and the expense and anxiety of a move, and the uncer- tainty of ever selling the house -" " Why, of course, there can be no question about it," answei-ed Edmund, whose face, grave and intent to start with, had cleared wonderfully as J £'H,.,v..-.<.v.a. iVxy ut'iu- child, I can only ■ll •J 111 £ * * - ' i? ■ VI 172 1 M 1 h . *!*■ II m' THE DOCTOR'S DOZEN. say that this most liber'il off., ^-e. ou,ht to sho^ r ,Y tmr"^^ ^^ ^"^^ ^ '-^re never tned boyon w ; "^ ^"^ ''"^' '^''' ''' Jf you gh-Is are 3l nl , " "" '^'^^ ^" ^-r- ^^- ^-uso, I .m ; '17, ^^^^ ^hese people in -d let us look at th TooLV "'' '' "^^ ^-- ^^gooci eno,-,.h for thelUelT- ^^^^^^ enough and all that ?-and onP nf I"~~ '^"^'^^^"^ Iiave to be tu'-ned in. ^^'^'^ '^^^^ «"rely Jfes, but we have o-ot all H.nf Ednuind. Tl,o Baroness Ll . °™ *™<' ^^^. 'oom that belonged oln""''-""" *" brings a ,„aid, »4h is " ' '' ""'" '^ ^'« almost think shetiir '^"? ^^"'^^-b^t I -uch the invalid J he tsl! " ^"'™^ » " bed in it, ,wu do for C %r ■ "^'""^ h- spare room wiil be OWs with t^ , '""" out of the large sparfl .' '^'' ^"™""« reo:n-seeh::e'^^:V~'^*<'Wo.pare ^.tting.room. The Baroness Ib^'fL^' "''"" to furnish it after her o«-n 7 ^ " '°™"') talked it an over with ^ t^f, ^^ '>- heart on being our boarder ^ ' , " '"^ «et her '''" bo Oiga/speciauTi:"'' *V^"'^ bondoir »^-. - r4 :t: .?- „ ir'e:':;^ HI THE doctor's dozen. 173 perhaps poor Dax ; and we need not tell him till he is better." " I think when Dax is better, and hears how this arrangement wiU save his sisters and Frank from unfitting and sometimes uncongenial toil- not that I have the least false shame about work- ing, or even seeing my sisters work when there is need— he will become reconciled to the innovation. Indeed, I believe it will be as much a relief to lum as it is to me; for as soon as he has grown stronger, the sense of helplessness will be certain to coim upon him and try kirn very much. Then, I am sure, he will be glad enough to know that the household wheels can revolve more smoothly and easily than ever they have done since our trouble, notwithstanding the fact that he is helpless for the present, and may have to remain for a long time in idleness." It seemed to Nancy as if a load was rolled from her heart. "Oh, Edmund;" she said, "I wish I had asked you before. But hax's illness came in the way, when we could not have begun any new arrange' ment; but we girls have had it in our minds "^Ul these Aveeks, and have been so hoping it might be arranged. Oh, are you going out ^ Is it not rather late ? " " I am going to pay my respects to the Baroness. ..i| •I'ii It r* ■ ! 1^ » i' Ill 174 THE DOCTOR'S DOZEN. into a house 2hT f '^''^'"^'^^ "^ '"rning i^-.., the" peri,'™ '"""'"• ""^ *' ^^' definite. I know ^r. "" ""^ ^^'"« «»™tHng »g visitor, fo"M ;;:"' "■'■"' '° - -» chat." "''' "'^'^n g»es in to have a I '>*it'tt; ':::'„ ^7'"»^-'ioe.o,,a. n>ind them I Ut t r'""''^ ™" -J" "»' hotebandboardi.hJr.ertj''" >!- "-din np^tafe will .ot s^em i . ° '"""'"'*™ news to FrankaL^lf^ I""" '" '^i^Per the 'i^-e, and th:„ she we" ;:!::? ''^^i"""" «-" played at her feet, and Di "id If "'"''"^"'^ next day, ''"^ ''^'' '^^sons for the " Oh, r a,ji g<, ,^j „ pale, tired face, told a tal» of Z 7 ' "^""^ had put upon he..elf d„rL tL ° ''™" ^""^ •-ad just lived through .fof i^Z^ '''' ""'^ were to do. I shall h^v„ \ ' '""' "iiat we for a Ion, thne 2^:7 'T^ ^"" -"> ^^ax |r.f THE DOCTOlt'S DOZEN. 175 of It. Indeed. I think it will be the best thincr possible for him when he is beginning to get better. Olgas brightness and vivacity will cheei aim up and the Baroness is so interesting and full of r on-' versation, that a visit to her room will be quite a tonic to him, when once he gets over his lirst shy- ness It sounds an odd thing to say, but I believe It will do us all good to have comparative strangers m the house, and then dear Frankie can be released from the drudgery of the bank, and seriously con- sider if he cannot take up a more congenial profes- sion. Ah, Nancy, I believe it's a true saying that It s always darkest before the dawn. We have lived through a very dark spell ; but I think the sunshine is coming back now." " And I am sure the darkness has not hurt us " answered Nancy, softly. "For I don't think we should ever have known each other, and loved each other quite so well if we had not lived through those dark days together." Edmund and Oswald came back together, having met at the Triple Crown. Di had begun to laugh at Oswald, and tell him that the hotel where the Baroness lived seemed to lie in his homeward route trom everywhere. As a matter of fact, it did lie between home and his parish, and it had become something of a habit with him to drop in f<^v a chat with the vivacious old lady, and her'equaUyViva- •I in if*"'' III ! ■■3fJ Mil 17fi THE doctor's dozen. 1 I ■f ♦ llmj cioiis niecG. As he was getting from one or the other such substantial help for his poor parishioners clurmg this time of sickness, it seemed only com- mon gratitude to go in frequently to report upon the cases m which they were interested, and set to the darmg and indefatigable Olga the bounds of her district visiting, carefully keeping her away trom all danger of infection. ''It is all settled." cried Edmund with a glad look of relief, "and the Baroness is coming to- morrow to look over the rooms and order in every- thing that she wants. We are to have no trouble about the alterations. Our furniture, which she does not want, will be either housed by her or put into other rooms, as we like, and she will send in everythmg she wishes for her own comfort She has decided to bring a maid, which I think is best myself: but she has got a very nice respectable elderly woman, who nursed under our father in the town, and is delighted to be coming to our house. Iwo gumeas a- week extra are to be paid for her if you please. I did try and remonstrate, but the Baroness would not listen, and that little fairy danced about all the time and said that it was no uso ever trj'ing to get the best of it with ' Auntie ' —though I think she knows pretty well how to turn the said auntie round her little finger. We may uxpect our new mmates within a fortnight THE doctor's dozen. 177 and I really feel as though it would be a pleasure to have them. If they were difficult to get on with and disagreeable, it would be worth the sacrifice ; but as it is, I do not see where the sacrifice is to come in." Dax was gradually mending, but progress was very, very slow, and for many days his life was little more than a long sleep, which was the best thing they could wish for him. He needed very little actual nursing now, save that it was not thought well to leave him alone ; but with so many in the house it was not difficult to find a succession of watchers. The arm was entirely the doctor's care, and only Damaris ever assisted at the dressings' which were for long the dread of Dax's life, though he bore them unflinchingly. But, though very silent and apparently apathetic, he was, perhaps, more alive to what went on in the house than the brothers and sisters were aware of, and one day, when alone with Frank, he spoke. " I say, old fellow, what is this new game going on ?" " What new game ? " "Oh, come now, don't pretend you don't know. There's been no end of tramping about the house these last days; and people go about with a Uiiierent look, and yesterday there was an arrival of some kind— a carnage first, c id then :|ii I ) { - J ' ■ i'. I i i I) ii 11 : 178 THE DOCTOn's DOZEN. was a oab and liig-^age. I think if "s (,imo f ciiliiL,''hfone(l." " Vou'vo got sharp ears, ohl man." " Ygs, I wish I hadn't. It 's a fearful nuisance hearing every single thing that goes on in the house. But I don't know that I need bother yon to enlighten mo. I think I can pretty well guess. The girls have got their way at last, and we have turned the establishment into a boarding-house." " We 've let our first floor, Avhich was standing empty, to Baroness Steinmetz and her pretty niece— if that '^ taming the establishment into a boarding-house , au<] now we have old cookie back again, and a skvcy under her, and two decent maids in the house; and we dine late and the girls dress for dinner, and have none of that ever- lasting pinching and screwing which was wearing them into thread-papers, and Oswald does not have to starve himself to take his own food to his parishioners. On the whole, I'm decidedly inclined to think well of the boarding-house, and I have special cause to approve it on my own account." Dax's eyes were now wide open. Something of the old look of purpose and resolution had flashed into them. He half raised himself upon his pillows, bade Frank prop him up into a sitting posture, and then he said : TIIK doctor's dozen. 170 " So tl/;it "s tho meaning of it all. Well, if it 'a Vvvsoiui] friends and relatives of tlin Lclmul' i't niters the case a good bit. Why did nobuii d me before ? " "He half raised himself upon his pillows."— Paire 178. "You were thought to be a rather prickly customer," answered Frank, with one of his comical glances, "and it was considered best r 'if 1 t' ' 11 r i'lliii IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET {MT-3) .^, = I I.I 11.25 us lU u 12^ ■ 40 1.4 2.0 m 1.6 Photographic Sciences Corporation 23 WIST MAIN STRHT WEBSTER, N.Y. 14SS0 (716) S72-4503 'A^ 180 THE doctor's dozen. not to irritate the animal until a more fitting? season." Dax smiled languidly, but it was the first smile Frank had seen for a long time, and it seemed to mark an era in recovery. "I'm afraid I was an awful bear at home. I believe I used the girls shamefully some- times; and they have been heaping coals of fire on my head all the while, nursing me as no fellow ever was nursed before, I do believe." " It 's a way girls have— girls like ours, I mean," answered Frank with pardonable pride; "but I think they will have their reward, especially Damaris, who had the lion's share," and his eyes twinkled meaningly. " What do you mean ? " asked Dax quickly. " Why, seemg you get well, to be sure," answered the boy with the gravity which betrayed a lurk- ing fun behind. " What better reward could she have ? " Dax was looking intently at Frank. " Have you seen it too ? " he asked. " I thought, perhaps, it was my fancy; you are thinking of Giles Leland ? " The brothers had of late fallen into the way of calling the doctor either by his Christian or sur- name, and he returned the compliment on his THE DOCTOU'S DOZEN. 181 Side. Frank carefully adjusted his eyeglass and looked at his brother, saying : " My dear fellow, we shall have to be careful • you appear to be aU ears and eyes, and desperately sharp perceptions. It 's hardly canny. Though o be sure, you have had opportunities for judging' However, I don't believe one of the girls kno^s-l 1 m not sure that Damaris does herself. But I smelt a rat some time ago. and when Giles came to me with his offer the other day " " Hold hard, you 're not going to pretend he proposed to you for Damaris ? " "Not exactly; I'd have given him my blessing, though, If he had. His offer was to me. and an uncommonly good one it is; but it made assurance doubly sure. "What did he o9er r " Why, to take me in hand and put me in the way of studying medicine under him, and later on, If ,t could be managed, in I>,ndon, or at some good medical school, so as to be his assistant and partner m due course-the thing that father always planned foj- ,„e if I took to i, as I always felt I should. He says I have the making of a doctor m me, and regular surgeon's finger^ and tl^ I beheve," said the lad, looking at°his long noWe digits. "Any way, I am free of the bank now, and I mean to road medicine and other t< i: •:i 182 THE DOCTOU'S DOZEN. \i'. l\ \i things like old boots. I've not given Giles an answer yet. That sort of thing wants tliinking over; but if he's really going to turn into a brother, I don't see that I need bo too proud to let liiin help me, and I don't believe there 's any- thing that our father would like better than for one of his sons to live to follow in his footsteps as a doctor in Fossbury." ill iking to a 1(1 to any. 1 for IS as CHAPTER XII. iDMUND, you must conio and help us ; promise tliat you will." "I, Olga? Why should I come? I shall bo of no use. My fingers are all thumbs at decorating. You will find I hinder more than help." ^ But Olga shook her determined little head, and msisted. " You know nothing at all about it. By the time you are free we shall just be wanting strong clumsy people, without any ideas of their own, to help in carrying the heavy plants to their places and m fixing up the wreaths and things we have made. Now, Edmund, do promise. The Abbey is only a few steps out of your way as you leave your ofiice. Do come." It was not in Edmund's nature to refuse any- thmg asked of him unless for some very good reason, and Olga's coaxing was always successful as she well knew. They were discussing tlie 183 n t, 1 ■ * hill Hi 184. THE J)0CT01l's DOZEN. Christmas decoration at the Abbey church on the morrow, in which several of the Inglehursts and Olga de Witt had promised assistance, and she was plainly determined that Edmund should not escape without bearing his share in the labour of love. Generally it was Oswald to whom Olga looked for assistance in any scheme of her own-l she and Oswald were professedly "great friends," and she was growing to be a right hand to him in his parish work. But this evening it was upon Edmund that her interest seemed to concentrate. The arrangement entered upon in October with regard to admitting the Baroness and Olga as residents beneath the family roof had turned out a signal success so far as the Inglehursts were themselves concerned, whilst Olga did not hesitate to assert that she had never been so happy in her life as she was now, and she did not believe her aunt had ever been so contented or so thorouffhlv well. ^ ^ Olga was more like a sister than a mere acquamtance of the home party They all called her by her Christian name. She had even visited Dax so soon as he was able to exchange his bed for a couch beside tlie fire, and she certainly acted upon him almost like a tonic. She it was who was able to provoke him to laughter by her droll stories, who had leisure to come and chatter to THE DOCTOU'S DOZEN. 185 him when others were busy, who brought him fruit and flowers— luxuries beyond the means of the Inglehursts even now, unless there was actual necessity for them— and posted him up in all the news of the day by reading the paper to him whilst Damaris was engaged with her duties about the house or the lessons of the children. Frank and she were constantly to be found practising music together, or deep in the mysteries of com- position or transcription. Frank was composing a service for the Abbey, which Olga declared the loveliest music ever yet heard. She was his right hand in the matter of copying and arranging it mto parts, and she had been heard to utter dark hints as to getting it published in due course, if it passed the ordeal of the Fossbury critics, who were supposed to rank high in the musical world. Frank was his old bright comical self now with- out efifort. Eeleased from the uncongenial work at the bank, and with the prospect before him of a profession to w"hich he had always felt consider- able leanings, he was reaping to the full the reward of his patient bravery and cheerfulness under great trial and provocation. He spent the mornings daily in hard study, or else in Giles Leland's surgery, learning from him the art of dispensing, which, though not particularly inter- esting, was veiy necessary, and in which he could i m m 180 Tllli DOCTOll's DOZEN. m any other matter. At times he accompanied him on h,s rounds, and assisted at any small operat,«n or surgical dressing whore his qtdekness of man,p„lat,on, and dexterity, and readiness were all very usofnl. Giles was more and „,ore eon- surgeon m h,m, and the lad felt an increasing mterest m the work as he experienced growinf power and aptitude. Jh.sic was relegated to 2 second place, and to it were given up his hours „f recreation. For six or eight hours daily he w rked d.hgently e.ther at his books „, in the oou.pX of the doe or, and by the time Christma. had ome he felt as though his wait in life had been thoroughly settled for him. As for the sisters, the past two months had done great things for them. The large househdd engrossed most of Nancy's time and energy, and the lessons of the children had been hand d ov^r to Damans and Ella. But there was no long! any need for the siste.3 to turn to and toil wS herr own hands, and though they all agreed th t had been ve.y good for them, and that they sho„ d never regret the insight it had given them mto household work and management, t eert tt wlulst the Uttle ones had the benefit of a more "t(\U TIIK DOCTOII'S DOZEN. 187 besides ro<,nil.ir education than Jiad been pos! their sisters had so much on their har teaching. There was no need now for Damaris to go out nursing, or for Ella to apply to Mr. Fothergill for remunerative work to help to keep the household wheels m motion. Indeed, until Dax was much better than he could be called yet, Damaris would not thmk of leaving home, for he depended more upon her than upon any one, and the maimed arm was terribly slow in mending, and likely to bo both a painful and unserviceable member for a long time to come. Ella, however, did not let her talents rust. She was deeply engaged in pamtmg a water-colour portrait of Olga, which the latter declared she knew her aunt would insist on purchasing when completed. It was to be sent to the Fossbury Picture Exhibition in the spring and Olga declared that if Ella went on flattering her to the extent she was doing now, half the ladies of the town would come to her to get their portraits painted. Ella indeed had a very happy knack of catching the best and brightest expression upon a sitter's face, and her steady and conscien- tious work for Mr. Fothergill had taught her much and had given her a greater command over her brush. The work of portrait painting gener- ally took place in the mornings, before the Baroness ■i I 188 THK DOCTOU'S Doy.ns. i> picture, ami ™ °^ . ," '°'"«^' '" the g^^. that theTttL""" ''^^'' '"■"' i'» 1-0- «»e Baroness :;SrL?"^' T"'''='' ""'« groat fancy to Eirfrom ,^ « '""""' '" '"''^ » o..t, would often rir^'f""""' 01^" «>•« «ouM spare the time^' """^ '' '"" f"™""'" T'>arest''oftht;r;3::roT;h",r*''- o'.Muici.,/c::;ixt::;r%''''' «''orecih:;:f;;'':l^-;-'e. Roiy.Poi pVnates for the ba^t:t Kt T'.T " were convinced that ,1,. ' ""'' ^hriss w- of opinii'^rrhXr ''"»^.-<> thoir express benefit, just at 1^ T"'' '"' most needed some hebof '''"'" "^^^ All the sister, lored her d ' ""^ "'"^''°'^'- she were reallv one ,' f ^^' *"'' fe"«« though --ontiSTerrip^^rr-irf""""^^' amongst them all l-n. , "" . '^^ ^^er favourite "'•""H^dtotif^ii^rii^^^^ the girl pu-ouetted lightly on one foot -room ; and to find tho rest in the th its pro- ended until to take a ^ Olga were f favourite ' with her. Wer guest I'isited her time; but lemselves, ing-room, RoIy-PoIy rming of fi Chriss 'airy, and Jated for iien they baracter. i though ^amaris, ivourite ■nd was leart. laugh- le foot THE doctor's dozen. igQ in A-ont of Edmund, extracting his promise with P otty persistence, gaessed from the arch and mis dnevous gleam of the dark eyes that more w^ meant than met the ear. and the conviction Z strengthened by the fact that Frank. wZ Z soft y strumming his banjo in the co;ner. beg" o twang out m a gently suggestive fashion th" air of "Jock o' Hazeldean." which had been Bertha Greysart's favourite song in davs nast T.A which Edmund had always mal herig f ^ ;:tr" ^'^ '^' '''''' ^" ---^ at the^ She glanced across quickly at Frank, who <.ave ber one of his comical smile, but nothing p^ ed between them then. Later on, when the par y was dispersmg to bed, and Damaris was bicE Frank good-mght. she looked at him once a^aTn° and he returned the stare with one of hi^C imperturbable glances. "I don't betray no secrets, mum," he said I will. But Bertha Greysart is home again in the paternal home ; and I dare say is at thTs ve ! moment engaged in the congenial' and fi lia Zl of turning the old gentleman round her finge^' as she always did when she wished. Good Ih ' ri:u^'^"^"-^---,singi:::t mi !i »vi Jock o' IJazeldean." I'or head now." ^'"^° '''^'^^^ ''as in Next (lay was Christmas Evo and . i Jt was. Tn fi.« . ' "" ** 'l»iisv (lav ongagcl with church Zol ^' ! "'•''° ""''"^ whou ^aue. r h ;r ;r '""'. '-'* Dax. ^ ^ a companion to J«7rat:r''^^^---*»Ahhe^^ ;^''o^o„r in the r:; :::--- ^-horl be holj.ful, and under OW, "''^"" '»»• ""ger to She was he^elf in t Ss, T ''"'"''''"'■ she said nothin- to iJrl I W spirits, but Damaris had he°r Lw^ ^ '" '""''■' ""'' if hotra,ed no ^oretha^r'L::;^'' ''".'''> night. "°°^ "10 previous I>ax was to make his Br^t .o '— s t„.ni,h, to ^^IrZ^U-'tj Iia', ' to herself, ch Ims in liiisy thy ifttl to bo 't borries, ity set in fo mostly 'y Nancy isy with "inion to 3 Abbey, e there, sager to •tection. ■its, but and if em to but he 'evious ommir o y by THE doctor's dozen. IQ] Mr,, prosom at ,l,c Cl,ri.st,„a.s |.;vo family ,,!„„„,. "" »":»o». "..'I 1.0 was i„„,au„„t IW ,,l,o houso o be ,„,ot tl,at 1,0 „ight „,ako his „„,, i„ ,,1" A drcss,ng.gow„ had hitherto boon his oaaygarb, tU soon t.red, and disposed to bo irritable if hmgs dul not go j„st to his mind. He had however, learned to look „,,on this irritation wW.' dread, as a s,gn of nervous weakness, and he kep " '" ^^'f "^ ""«'' »» 1.0 could. Damaris wL was httle provoeafon, and at last he was arraye,! to h,s sat,sfaetion in a suit of his own elothe S;;: ""^ """= '-P- •>- - "-ply and ,' ""'"• ''.7' I ^'fo you they are your own and you wdl have to fill then, up in d' o coule' deelare, D„, I believe you have had the attdaeitv grow whilst you have been ill. Pn, sure yon look tailor than you did. Now sit down and 11 bring you some tea, and then you shall try and g downsU,rs. I should like you to be thi y the t,me the others eorne in. I suspeet we sli iia\u a piece of news to hear then." 192 THE doctor's dozen. n-l Dax looked up inquiringly, but Damaris did not explain, and he was willing enough to rest a little ilowever, he managed to get down to the drawing- room later on with her assistance, though he arrived there in a white and breathless condition and she was not quite certain if the attempt had not been made a little too early. "How large everything looks, and how pretty," he said, as he sat looking about him. feeling as though the familiar house were almost nevv to hmi, and then catching sight of himself in a mirror opposite he gave a slight start and then laughed. " Goodness~I didn't know I was such a scare- crow. I 'm hardly fit for civilised society." " Oh, you 're nothing to what ycu have been dear boy," answered Damaris, laughing and strok' mg the dark head with its close-cropped hair that had only just begun to recover from its clipping at the time of the fever. Dax smiled as he lay back in the chair and closed his eyes wearily. He did indeed look terribly gaunt and haggard and frail—more so now that he was up and dressed again—at least it was more noticeable— than when he had been con- tent vv'ith invalid ways in his own room. Damaris, as she looked at him with shinino- eyes felt that he had been given back to them from the iris did not est a little, e drawing- ■hough he condition, empt had w pretty," feeling as it new to iself in a and then 1 a scare- ^ve been, ad strok- hair that ipping at lair and ed look aaore so ; least it sen con- ng eyes, rom the ••He managed to get down:'~Pacfe 192. WS N i\' THE DOCTOR'S DOZEN. Iflg very jaws of death, and tho same thought was perhaps m h,s mind, for he glanced up pLently to ask a question ho Iiad never asked before ■ time?"""""' " ""' '""'"' ™'' S" ""' ™^ "' »"» ■■ We hardly know how it would turn," answered Damans, commg and laying her hand upon his shouhler. wWbt he put up his long thin'fogej no,v mueh whiter than he.., and possessed himself of It ; but you always had a splendid eonstitution nd as D. Leland said, you had never .rifled with me. Ihat helped very much." "And your nursing_I believe that did it" BaidDax "I have never thanked you all tUs while or your goodness to me, Damaris. I don^ think I could have pulled through without it" lipf ' '"^^"^ «"^ '»"<=hed his head with her "You need not thank me, Dax ■ I am only glad I was able-that we were not obliged to have a tranger m. Are you not one of ourselves 1 Could we ever have borne to let you »o » " better "Ta-fr ""'''' '' " ""Sht n°ot have been better, said Dax in a very low voice. .- Damaris, am I ever going to be any good ..gain! Shal I ever have a serviceable right .arm i » She put her arm closely about him. ■ il ' ^^ M W- ■] t ^ i I 'ill ml I I I!; 19G THE doctor's dozen. " Oh, Dax, we hope so. No one can say more yet — it is too soon. But there have been more wonderful cures made before now. It will be trying and tedious and sorr^etimes very painful, I am afraid, but there is plenty of room for hope." He was silent and very grave. She came round and knelt down so that she might look into his face. What she saw there made her ask : " Dax, dear, you are not going to let yourself worry over this ? You have been so brave and patient all this time — you are not tired of holding on ? " He smiled, but the smile was a rather sad one. " I think I could bear anything, if I really felt that at the end I should come out of it all rio-ht agam ; but Damaris, I have a hateful fear upon me sometimes." Damaris had raised her head, for the room door had been softly opened during the last few mo- ments, and she saw that Giles Leland stood upon the threshold. He had known of the attempt about to be made to-day, and had come in softly, thinking possibly from the silence in the room that Dax might be sleeping after his unwonted exertion. Damaris gave him a look which he well understood, and he remained where he was in the shadow, unseen by Dax. " What fear is that ? " she asked softly. THE DO(rroil's DOZEN. 197 " The fear tliat I shall never bo good for any- thing again. I can't tell you what a perfect fool I often feel at the very thought of going back to the works, and hearing the whizz of wheels about me again. It had begun before. It was growing on me before this. I don't know what it meant ; but it was as if the wheels got into my head and were turning there, and I couldn't see straight, or be certain of myself from moment to moment. Some days it was better — some worse. I never could count upon myself ; and when I lie and think of going back there " He finished the sentence by a convulsive shudder, and at that moment Giles stepped for- ward out of the snadow. "The best thing you can do is not to think about it any more," he said cheerfully. " It will be quite time enough to cross that bridge when you come to it. By the time your arm is well enough for you to be able to think of such a thing as going back to the works, you will see how you feel upon the subject. And there are other berths open to you besides that one. You have plenty of brains " Dax made a little impatient movement with his hand. " Good berths are not snapped up every day by a fullow who may have only one serviceable arm, 'm fl ! f i^ : all, and then the pair ^ -^ say, OJga, my nerves won't stand " needn t keep secrets from Dax. Awfully .-lad o SCO you down again, old scarecrow. Now ot Bamar,s has got some tea for you. Sit down?n d ell them the astonishing news. W, were quite thunderstruck when we got to the church, wer »' we— especially you a„,l ii- Olga's face was dimpling wi,h fun, but she looked as demure as a little mouse. She signed her tea m her dainty fashion, with her head oToIe SKle rather hke a bird, and at last she said • TIIK doctor's IK)ZEN, 201 " I liopo Edmund won't be .angry with me ; but Miss Greysart was in the churcli this afternoon, decorating." Bertha Greysart," echoed both brother and sister in a breath, and Olga continued in the same would-be grave way : " Yes, perhaps you had not heard that she came back a few days ago. I think she was tired of being away, and rather took the law into her own hands. Some friends of hers were coming to England, and she came with them, and arrived only two days after the letter announcing that she was going to do so." "Did Mr. Greysart mind ? " asked Damaris. Olga's face dimpled all over with pleasure. " Mind ? He is just delighted to have her back. She says she does not know how ever she s .ayed away so long. You know Bertha and I are great friends. We knew each other in America, and as I did not know many of the people at the Abbey we worked together ; and by-and-by, when Edmund came, he helped us. That gave me leisure to go and see after the children. And when I got back to them they had managed somehow to spoil everything they were doing, and I had to set them to something quite easy, and do the work over again. It 's a pity I asked Edmund at all— I didn't know he was quite such a dumper. But Bertha iff %i I- i I I m SI in 1 1 i.>i i 1 i is 202 TlIE^DOCTOlt's DOZEN. H! was almost as bad when he «-as there. And oh ''"«"' '» '"" y«"- I have a message from Edmund. He .s not coming home to .Unner- he .s g„,„g to dme at the Greysarts. Mr Grev- sart came to fetch Bertha, and carried him off with em I sa,d I was sure he could be spared, and Fmnk,e said just the same. We didn't know that Dax would be his substitute. But I assure you he would have been no good at home. He was in a very queer mood— wasn't he, Frankie » " "Awful odd," answered Frank solemnly " I think he s a bit touched in the head, you know. Fellows do get like that sometimes. You don't mind, I suppose, Damaris ? Anyhow, he 's gone." Damaris and Dax e..changed glances, and then Damans bun,t out laughing, and Olga joined in with her merriest peal. Frank shook his head and continued to look pretematurally solemn ; but his the' Ws "^ P'"™"""™ "^ """' '^ the laughter of •■ What does it all mean ?" asked Dax Frank shrugged his shoulders with an air of exaggerated innocence, and professed himself absolutely m the dark ; but when Olga could re- cover hei^elf, she looked from one to tho other .and "Oh, it's no good pretending we don't know. It s as plam as a pikestaff, as you boys would say. <( THE DOCTOU'S DOZEN. 203 Bertha has never cared for anybody but Edmund all her life, and thoii<,di she has been a year away, and has been told she must forget him, she conies home just as much in love as she went out, when they were on tlie verge of being engaged. Damaris, I told you long ago how it would be. She is an only cliild, and Mr. Ureysart is a very kind man really, and idolises her. She has gone and told him everything— perhaps it 's mean of me to let it out ; but you will none of you love her less for it, and he has given way. He has told her that he could never find any one he more thoroughly liked or respected than Edmund, and since these troubles which came to you he has seen his worth more than ever. I don't know exactly how it 's all to end ; but you may be sure Bertha will get her own way in the long run, and, as I tell her, next year being leap-year, if he is too proud to propose to her, she must just propose to him," and Olga nodded her dainty little head, and set them off laughing out of sheer sympathy and the contagion of her happy feeling. " I must go now, and°tell auntie that I am in, and prepare her for seeing the scarecrow at dinner to-night. Are Giles and his mother coming too ? I thought so. What a nice party we shall be ! It 's almost a pity Edmund won't be here ; but I do assure you he would have been no good to-night." .ill f ! II > , ii • 't !i' K < • I « III! I ' I 1 '^. I I : 1 1 i f , 204 Tiiiv no(,"roii'.s D()>:kn. And thon (ji^oi daiicod off. looked lit cacli otl wliilst, tho otl icrs broul-fl.o -1 "'""' ''"'' '^''^ ''"^ ^^'^ y family arrangement on the premises. E(hnunu\s goose is cooked for hiui to-day, you'll see. By-the-by, it ought to be a turkey at this season ; but no matter — and Oswald and Olga will be tho next. What? You don't profess that that 's news to you ? I saw it from the first. It was only the other day tliat Oswald asked mo privately if I knew whether Olga had a fortune of her own, or whether she were simply dependent on the old lady upstairs, and I told him I believed she was a poor dependant. He brightened up wonderfully at that — he's just the sort of fellow to go in for love in a cottage — or a curacy — it 's much the same. It strikes mo I shall soon be practically the head of the family. Married brothers don't count." Dax and Damaris, who had been living a good deal u' /Stairs of late, and had therefore been rather out of the swim of family life, exchanged wondering glances, and Dax asked sharply : " What is the meaning of all this, Frank ? — is it your nonsense ? — or do you really moan it ? " " Oh, I don't know nothing," answered Frank, setting his eye-glass, and staring at Dax with his exaggerated air of innocence. " I 've only confined !!' I ■\l\ i til 4 u p|i| ! I 1 j; iJ 206 THE doctor's dozen. n myscl to bare facts. Oswald did ask me that an. when I told Olga what had passed, sho said I had spoken woi-ds of wisdom, ,« I always do, and ^o I suppose it's all righ, I -» gi^^ him ,„y blessmg .f ho marrios Olga, for she's a jolly littk sold, too good to be allowed to go out of the family and I m a httle averse to present matrimony my. ^olf. Wei, I'm off to dress. You ean make what use you hke of my information, as the advertise- n.onts say I'm net ashamed of nothing I ever say. If you keep your eyes open you ean see it all tor yourselves." rJ!'% ^^7"^ ^°"*'' '"'™^ ^""^ ™d Damaris rattier breathless with astonishment. But Dax was unfat for excitement, and she would not let him talk, or even think very much about it. " We can't quite see what the end of it is to be " she sMd gentry , " but we need not worry our heads over that now. We have bean so wonderfully led tiust. We could not have looked, I suppose, all to hve under the same roof all our lives s;me sort of change must come in time; and if the boys can only see their way to happy and independent homes of their own, why, it ought to make us all very happy." " "Ah, it's just that if that makes the diffi- culty. THE doctor's dozen. 20 " And I will not have you troubling your head with it now." " I cannot help it. If I were not such a useless log — if I were in the positmn I might have been but for this, it might perhai^s have been managed with the help that has come to us lately." " Which perhaps might never have come had you been yourself, and had worked your way up as you hoped. You would have tried hard to keep strangers out of the home. But there, Dax, I cannot let you talk or think any more, or you will be quite unfit for dinner this evening, and I shall get into disgrace." But if there was some weight upon the patient's spirit, at least the rest of the faces round the long table that night were bright enough ; and such a babble of merry voices had not been heard in that room for many a long day before. Christmas — the first Christmas without the parents — had been a season looked forward to with dread by many members of the family : but the presence of these kind friends, whose faces and voices raised no painful associations, and who did their very utmost to keep conversation flowing and avert all painful topics, did much to lessen the sense of blank and change; whilst the first appearance of Dax amongst them, after these Inno- months of seclusion, was in itself enough to promote )<- If i !■: 208 THE doctor's dozen. happiness and cheerful thankiulness. There was an undefined feeling besides in many minds that something good was happening to the eldest brother, who had acted his part as head of the bereaved family so generously and well. No company could be dull that counted Olga the Baroness, and Frank amongst its numbers' And to-night Giles Leland was at his very best and kept the company alive with his sallies, many of whicli were answered by Olga or Frank in the happiest manner, and set the whole table in a roar. Mrs. Leland's motherly presence was always felt by the children as soothing and welcome, and Di had begun to go to her for counsel and help almost as she would have done to her own mother had she lived. Di had greatly softened and improved of late, and was growing a very pretty, animated, but lady-like and gentle girl. The qualities her mother had most wished developed in her were being carefully cultivated by Mrs. Leland, who felt almost as if she had found a daughter, so loving and unfailing were the attentions and little marks of affection that she was constantly receiving from Di. Roly-Poly had been for the first time in their youthful lives admitted to the late dinner, and exceedingly did they enjoy the promotion in' their own solemn way. They must needs taste every Tffl riiere was linds that he eldest id of the I ted OJga, numbers, 'ery best, ies, many ik in the hlo in a nee was ling and her for ave done i greatly rowing a I gentle b wished iltivated she had ig were on that in their er, and in their e every THE doctor's dozen. 209 dish in due course and pronounce upon its merits and once they set the whole company Liughin- by their looks of melancholy gravity at seeing the table cleared previous to dessert. They had been looking with longing eyes at the dishes laden with sweetmeats and candied fruits; and when they saw the systematic clearance of the table before these dainties had been partaken of. they "Isn't nobody going to eat those ? " brellil"^''^ ^°^^f^l gl'^^^^es and exclaimed in a " Oh is it done already ? Isn't nobody goin. to eat those ?" "^ * » To compensate them for their brief alarm, Olc^a would have plied them with dainties tiU they could cat no more, had not Damaris interposed o t : .1 i- .! M i I ),] Hi- lis II 210 THE DOCTOll's DOZEN. and carried tliem off to bed sleepy, but deeply delighted by the dignity of having had late dinner and drunk everybody's health. The evening passed pleasantly and SAviftly, and the guests had just left the fomily party alone, when the sound of the latch-key in the lock announced the return of Edmund, and his brothers and sisters greeted him with questioning glances. His face was very bright and hopeful, though it was grave too. He did not profess to misunder- stand the nature of the looks bent upon him. He greeted Dax with a brotherly pat on the shoulder, and then stood leaning against the mantelpiece. " I don't know Avhat to say or think about it all, but nothing could have been kinder or more gener- ous than the offer I have had made to me. I said it was a thing that needed thought, and I could not speak definitely without consulting you at home. The facts of the case are briefly these : — Bertha, dear girl, has never given me up since we were poor. She obeyed her father in staying away ; but she has never changed one Avhit, and she has brought him round to her way of think- ing. Then there is imothcr thing. Mr. Greysart is beginning to wish to retire from active participation in the business. To do so ho must find a partner. You all know he used to ii ut deeply ate dinner viftly, and rty alone, the lock is brothers ig glances, though it misiinder- ipon him. it on the ainst the iout it all, ore gener- 3. I said d I could f you at these : — > since we 1 staying whit, and of think- Groysart u active so ho B used to THE doctor's DOZKN, 211 look to me for that, but I was to bring grist to the mill, and that I cannot do. Since ho gave up that idea he has been looking about. Many people have come forward, but none to his liking. So now he has made up his mind that he would rather have me with nothing but my brains and my knowledge of the business than a stranger with capital at his back." "Good for him," said Frank, nodding. "I suppose Bertha brought him to that way of thinking ? " "He tells me he had arrived at it before— unless he found his little girl had fallen in love with some enterprising Yankee who would t^ke the vacant post. As she had not done this, he decided to let things be as they would have been had our father lived to furnish the funds, as he had always intended, to start me in life. This is what he told me as we sat over our dessert after Bertha had left. He told mo that he intended getting the deeds of partnership drawn, and that a few months would see the formahties through. He had been told by his doctor— Giles Leland, you know— that he needed a real change anl holiday; and he proposed, when I was fully installed, to go to visit the relatn^cs in America whom Bertha has just been to sec. In fact, to make a long story short, what he wants me to do . 6 t » '-1=1 ' 1. 'Mi i ; ■ -■. ^i i:.; I fi ;|. 1 r, 'il 212 THE doctor's dozen. L' : i llf'Mi I i IS this. To take upon myself the full manage- ment of the business— a great part of which I have practically been managing for a long time now— but Avith the authority of partner, so that ho can be free. I shall have then a comfortable income-sufficient to allo^v you here at homo more than I have been doing hitherto, and still support Bertha in modest comfort. As a matter of fact she has money of her own from her mother; so, without any allowance from her father, we should be very comfortably off; but what he wants us to do is to go on living in his house, keeping up the establishment there, first during his absence, and then after his return home. He said to me that Bertha was his only child, and that it would be hard to part with her; but he could not see why we could not make our home under his roof— making it ours, as he put it— and giving him a corner by our fireside when he wanted it, so that he would not be alone in his old age." " Well," said Oswald, " I don't think any man could have spoken fairer than that. Why did you hesitate, Edmund ? " "It seemed too good to be true," answered the young man, passing his hands across his eyes. " I was afraid of being led away by my own wishes. My place is here, if I am wanted or THE doctor's dozen. 213 needed to keep this honso togetlicr. Notl.incr in the world can take the place of the claim upon "'0 of this homo, and „C ,ny own brothers and sisters I told Mr. Ureysart so. even whilst 1 thanked hnn for his most noble offer, and said I could give no answer without consultinir all of you." " And what did he say to that ? " " He said I was quite right. Ho said-no never mind that." "Oh, yes, be fair and square; what did he say ? " Edmund's colour rose for a moment, but he answered quietly : " Well, he said that he trusted Bertha to me all the more gladly because he had seen how we brothers and sisters had all hung together when things had been difficult and dark. And then he said I was to go and talk to Bertha." "And so you stand before us a betrothed husband," said Frank, putting up his eye-glass and treatmg his brother to a long stare " Well on the whole, I think it seems to agree with you." "I am engaged," onswered Edmund, quietly enough, though his eyes shone with a very bright light. " But we are both prepared to wait, and let It be a long engagement if my duty seems to raj '|9 If' rj'M ■ i i5 , ., V . », ,-, II < p H i| ( i-- i: i m y r ii . ,'i < . .fi ' I. t i ^ ' 1' .f: ^ 1. ^ '.n 1 I :■ ■ i 1 1* J i . it 1 1\\% J\n ' 214 THE DOCTOU'S DOZEN. ^ i, :|| r ! ;- .•i i 1 , : jL - 4 sx::s9SS3££ bo here. Bertha wants to have K..ly-Poly to udupt and bring up, as our .special share of tlie do;icn if I do leave this roof; but I made no promise-no stipulations. I felt that I was not calm enough to arrive at any conclusion. I must talk it all over with you first." Silence fell upon the room for a moment, but It did not last long. '' I can't see any objection to it," said Oswald at last slowly. " I shall be left here. I am your twm, Edmund. I ought surely to be able to take your j)lace if duty takes you elsewhere. I think you need not fear to accept your happiness. I am sure you have deserved it. Bertha's faithful trust deserves its reward— and so does your generous care for us all. You gave up all that seemed hke the happiness of your life for our sakes once. Now that the happiness has been given back you need not be afraid to take it I am sure that with it there will be a blessino-— the blessing that always follows self denial Ll trust in God." and CHAPTER XIY. HE April sunshine was pouring cheer- fully into the dining-room and liuhtinir up the circle of bright foces round the breakfast table, but Damaris did not appear to hear any of the gay talk thac went on around her. Her head was bent over a letter closely written upon foreign paper, which she Imd that morning received, and presently she put it aside without comment of any kind, folding it and slipping it into her pocket, and thougli she Avent steadily on with her breakfast, it did not seem as though she heard any of the chatter of the party as the meal proceeded. There were a few faces missing from the circle of the doctor's dozen. Edmund was gone. . He had been married just five weeks, and upon his return to Mr. Greysart's house with his young wife he had carried off Roly-Poly, to be at any° rate temporary inmates of his home ; and there was a feeling in the minds of the brothers and 215 :f! *'m I - '>■ m • i i . » ? *i ?. il' li iii|j t i 216 ill THE DOCTOIl's DOZKX. tjl, 1 ", ■ "■'" •■""' "™" "' ^™^ »*""0"». it l,a,l not boon exactly statcl i„ set terms but tI.ore was a conviction that the little twins ^ud — /a.a;.itl^l'^— :S?1 hou J unJertako that charge. Certainly it was W^e both h,m and Bertha to wish to do it No other marked change had taken place in the rani, of the famil,-. Dax was once mor „ h Z!' -77: rt '"' ^'"" ''^=- '" •''-^ ong He was able to cut his own food. thou<.h n a lame and feeble manner, and it was v rrharf o beheve that the crippled member would ev r be sound and serviceable again. Still, the dec o^ who had seen it all declared that it w uld. thoth only very slowly and gradually. Bax was still very gaunt and worn, and his languid movrmem" tod how h.s strength had been drained away by th s long and wasting illness. He had never got back any colour after the bleeding, which had so nearly cost him his life, and th<;se b „ biL were begu,nn,g to feel a„.xious-more a x'u^ Ti[K doctor's dozen. 217 than thoy cared to confess, for ho certainly scorned to roquiro some stimuhitin- treatment or thorowd, change of air .nd scene ; and yet, where was he to go or how could 1,0 go alone anywhere, maimed and helpless as he was ? Things were better with the Inglohurst family than they had been of old, but they were not yet beyond the reach of pecuniary cares, and Dax had been a source of considerable expense already. True C.des Leland absolutely and curtly refused to' send m any bill for his attendance upon a son of his predecessor, but there had been fees to pay to London surgeons who had been consulted, and it was not easy to see how funds were to be found for two of the party to go away and enjoy them- selves at the seaside or take a sea trip Dax himself always refused to listen to such a proposi- tion If ever so slightly hinted at, and spoke of getting mto harness before long ; but by this time he and the whole family knew that his place had been filled at the works, and the very thou^^ht of going there again always brought on an acc'ess of nervous tremor, which showed how utterly unfit he was to try to get employment in his old tirm again. He had been very silent and quiet of late, but Damans was certain his dependence and helpless- ness were preying on his mind. She had done \m r in 1, , ( u 218 n I I I I TUK DOCTOU'h dozen. all sho could to l)nrr],tfin his tardy convalo.sconco, hikI, on tho wholo, Im had been very a voyage would bo tho best thing of all for him." " Do you moan that if he wero to go to Australia," interrupted Damaris, quickly, " that it would set him up, and that when he got to tho end of the voyage he would be a difibrent being from what ho is now ? " " I am tolerably certain that if he were to go to Australia in a sailing vessel which would give him several months at sea, you would not know him by the time ho landed there. He would be as fit as he ever was in his life, all but the arm; and that, if he had salt water bathing regularly all the while he was on board, would be about twice as strong and serviceable as it is now, and would rapidly improve. But why do you ask? Has some chance come ? " "Yes; and I wished to speak to you before I mentioned it to him. Listen, and I will tell you. You have heard me speak of our Aunt Janet, our mother's sister, with whom I lived so long ? She went out to Australia two years ago to be with her brother, an uncle of ours whom we have never seen. Of course I have written regularly to her, and told her all about ourselves I'm! IM* ,j ., 220 THE doctor's dozen. ik i M. ;= If i ■ »nd our troubles an,) our pleasures. Sl,o 1ms Tt T"", '™"^ ■™" ^^■"i«''"«'-aii,. ; Z ' lo'f'' T f ""■ ""'^ """">»'' I '"'- I'-l « "f ' ''""^ '"^'■' ■•'°'' '■'« l'<'i"t of it all is ^at ahe wants Da. to go out to Australia, not ju t on a vs,t. but to n,ako a career for himself .mmenso landowner, it seems, but who is going to be employed m some capacity by Government, and ,™„ Id g,ve anything to have a nephew who is a t amed engmeer to help him in what he has undertaken to do T rl„„'* j , ' ''™' understand the techn,cal part of it_that is to be explained to Ua. later ; but what I do t,nde,.tand is that the e .s work and a career for him, that he will le!d an outdoor hfe, mostly in the saddle, and have good pay and a home with relatives too ft sounds just the very thing, and I know he would jump a .t ; but he will be afraid of accepting lest he should p , „„,y ^ ^ ^ ^^^^^^^ V . t got there, and so I came to ask you if he mH.t reasonably reckon on getting b/ck his h aUhty the time he had crossed the water " vou't r'"''"""^- « he will not believe jou let him come to me, and I will soon set his morb.d mmd at rest on that score. Why the 'l..ng m,ght have been made for him. I wilh he ^f^'AiJ ly^iictia igJa aw Sho has ••^Hy, hut tliat sJie ve liad a it all is 'alia, not ' himself ho is an ?oing to rnment, ' who is he has id the ined to tt there 11 lead d have )o. It would ag lest len he might 1th by elieve et his Y the sh he THE DOCTOIl's DOZEN. 221 had heard of it before. It would have been a better tonic than anything I could give him." "I don't think things have taken shape very long. It is only lately there has been any plan of opening up this particular part of the country, and there were our uncle's own boys to think of first ; but one has set up for himself, and another died last autumn, and his two daughters have married settlers and have left him alone ; and so —and so— Aunt Janet says she is feeling very lonely, and begs that we will come to make it more homelike for her on the other side of the water, and if you say it is just the thing for Dax " ^ But Giles had sprung to his feet, and was look- mg at Damaris with a very different expression on his face. " Wer he repeated quickly and almost sternly, " and pray what do you mean by we .? It is only of Dax we have been speaking so far." "Of course Dax, is the one that matters," answered Damaris, not lifting her face or her eyes. "But I do not see how we could possibly let him go out there alone ; and besides there was another mvitation in Aunt Janet's letter. When she went to our uncle's there were two daughters at home • now, as I say, they are both married and crone' And she wants one of us girls to go over with m iTr «» *: I- :: 222 THE doctor's dozen. a I f! , [lii sh. ;r/ 7i' r, ' ^'""^ "'"'' ^'''^''^' '^ settle. She said It had better be either Nancy or I ; she would hke me best because I know' her .ays "But it sliall not be you," cried Giles with sudden vehemence, as he made a step forward and caught Damaris by the hand. "It shall not -It must not be you. Damaris, I forbid you to go. I cannot spare you. Oh, my darling, my ^larling, do you need that I should tell you thai I love you more tlian life itself, that you are everythmg in the world to me ? " Damaris looked up suddenly, and saw a strange light burning in the eyes bent upon her, a light so bright and keen and withal so unspeakably tender that she felt her whole heart going out from her own keeping, whilst the room seemed rocking beneath her feet. She saw that Mi. Leknd had discreetly slipped away, and the next thing she knew was that she was drawn closer and closer within the strong arms of Giles until her head rested upon his shoulder, and his tace was closely bent over hers. Did it come upon her as a surprise that this strong man loved her with all the fervour of his uitcnse nature ' It seemed to Damaris at that moment as though she had known it a long time -and yet only an hour ago her mind had been 11 • Mi to settle, or I ; she her ways riles with ' forward shall not id you to •ling, my you that you are I strange •, a h'ght Deakably >ing out seemed w that md the drawn )f Giles, and his lat this f of his .t that g time d been THE doctor's dozen. 223 full of the idea of going with Dax to Australia. Now she knew that, dearly as she loved Dax. dear as his welfare must always be to her, there was one even nearer and dearer— one who must ever stand first in her heart, and to whom her deepest love must be given. "Damaris. Damaris, you are mine. You are mine by that immutable law of love which is given us by God Himself." Giles's voice above her was almost hoarse in its earnestness and intensity. The clasp of his arm tightened in- voluntarily upon her, and she had no wish to loose its restraining pressure. After the lon^ battle, the protracted anxiety, the loss of relatives who ho 1 been their natural protectors, together with the stress of circumstances which had tried them all so keenly, it was inexpressibly sweet to feel once more able to depend— to trust in some one else— to have one to whom to look up as by a natural right. And then Damaris had learned to love Giles Leland as she had never loved another, and she did not struggle against the surrender of herself, although after a few moments of the most exquisite happiness something of the old rule of her life asserted itself, and she looked up into his face, and slowly drew herself away "Giles," she said tremulously, for happiness was harder to bear with composure than trouble had If i ■! i.^ 'if!,- lii. 224 THE doctor's dozen. hhi . often been. " I do love you. I think you know it. But there are the others to think of still. I must not be selfish because this great happiness has come to me. " You shall not, dearest." he answered impetu- ously-impetuosity in Giles Leland was something, new, and it even evoked a smile from Damaris. as she stood close beside him looking up into his face. My darlmg, do you think I do not recognise to t!io full the sacredness of the family tie which has bound you together all this while ? Was it not in part your devoted love to each other, so unselfishly an(i unconsciously shown in your lives that drew me to you ^om the first, though you did not like m3 for a long time ? "-they exchanged smiles then, and Giles continued, speaking rapidly, -Damans, my own, my wife that is to be in claimmg you I claim the right to be a brother to tho.e who call you sister, to act a brother's part bv them, and to take my share of the family burden as well as of the family joy and happiness. I think they trust me already. I think soon they will learn to love me for your sake. Did you think I should ask you to give up for me any one of the sweet duties towards your own kindred which you have so nobly fulfilled ? No, Damaris I only ask and claim the right to share them all with you, and to be one of you in very truth- •"'^^^'^?y"^"'""" ■-^--i^«^a»B^Sj:»!5a THE doctor's dozen. 225 to show them all that I have not robbed them of a sister, but have given them another brother." "Oh, Giles, Giles," cried Damaris, with a little sob m her voice, and then he took her once more in his arms. But time and tide wait for no man— neither do doctors' patients. The telephone from the surgery had already rung several alarms, and at this moment Mrs. Leland re-entered the room with a sweet smile upon her face, and Giles, understand- ing the hint, just waited to push Damaris into his mother's outstretched arms, and as he turned to go he said : ° ^ " It is all right, mother ; but we have had no time for talk. You tell her some of our castles in the air, when we have been conning over the future together." He was gone, and Damaris, clinging to the sweet motherly woman she had learned to love so well cried with a little sob in her voice : "Oh, tell me, it is not wrong and selfish to be so very happy. Tell me that I am not doinc a wrong to the others in taking this great joy%o myself. ' '' "^ "My darling, I do assure you from the bottom of my heart that you are doing no wrong to any one. It is God's best gift to us, this deep and wonderful love, nor will you love the others less i >■ » ' i' i m .\i ill I 'hi /. 22G THE doctor's dozen. Ifft ; !! i' i* I because you will some clay bo Giles's wife. Ho '" ■tn '^° "'"'''"''' '""• "'» 'rials with y„„ H wm best make up t„ you fo^ tho loss y„ ^\lii sustain in Dax." ^ Bamaris put her hau.l to her heaJ as if to clear away the mists which had clouded her visio^ want to think." she said. - 1 cannot realise all m a moment. I must not be selfish If Bax goes, and Nancy with him, as I think she must now, how can I be spared from homo E, and Di cannot '" Mrs. LeLand interrupted by drawing the »irl to her s,de upon tho couch, saying gentl^ as s,!: dH "Bamaris, dear, this idea is quite new to you but .t .s not new to us. Giles and I have ta ked' o>or,t and tts attendant difficulties m.any. many t.mes already, and have made many ptuT These plans will in some way be simplified if'Z goes away takmg Nancy with him, for his futoe d.d seem terribly uncertain, poor boy, until th openmgcame. Will you let me tell yo„ whatt ave somettmes planned together ?_for I mZ ho way .s opening for the realisation o fou "Yes, please tell me," said Damaris "I will and you try to follo^v me as I do so Edmund is gone to i hnmn ^ suggestion which was Med with delight by those concerned, and ,vhi.h id away at once with half the burden of th. thought of the parting. ""* . Olga, of course, was ready to cap this suggestion with another, that they should charter a ™ hT and all go together to Australia, and land D„ that n that case they would find on their return that the house and aU the property had been s„Td and that the fanuly had taken to .he he ft caravan, with himself as maater of the cerelnL %a declared that that would be the inosuZl Mra Leland, m the absence of Giles and Damaris, would keep house for the rZiZt rhHooTof th?n T" " """ ^"" '•-" ^-«^' the roof of the old home. Di had wiUingly entered mto the agreement of being Mrs. leknd' !m' panion, and almost adopted child, when she vl left alone throuali i.nv o^^'„ _ _ ^^^^ left alone through her son's marriago. To do this ! THE ])OCTOU's DOZEN. 241 r '" (lid not take her from her own people nor from her beloved school and studies ; and Mrs. Leland was always on her side in regarding the office of future schoolmistress as an honourable and suitable one for her, if no nearer and dearer claim upon her should in course of time be made. Di, of course, was quite certain that she should never marry, and no rival in her heart to Mrs. Leland and Miss Hilton had ever for a moment appeared. She had one of the self-reliant natures well fitted to fight the battle of life alone, and Mrs. Leland thought it quite probable she would end by attaining the zenith of her ambition — a well-worked and high- class school of her own. A few weeks before the wedding Olga came of age, and upon the afternoon of that day Oswald was summoned to a private conference with the Baroness and Giles Leland, who had of late undertaken the business arrangements of his kinswomen. Whilst Oswald was gone, Frank sat strumming upon his banjo, his favourite tune for the nonce appearing to be, " Oh, what a surprise ! " which he kept twanging hi various keys, softly enunciating the words of the refrain to himself with every inflection of emphasis. At last Damaris, who had long entertained suspicions of her own, looked up from her stitching i i .11 242 THE doctor's dozen. liu 11^. mi of some of her trousseau garments, and said quickly : " What is it, Frank ? I know you are bubbling over with some kind of nonsense. You might as well let us have the benefit of it, too." "No, mum; it ain't no nonsense," answered the lad, adjusting his glasses, as he laid down his banjo and strolled across the room. "It's all serious, solemn earnest this time. «0h, what a surprise ! ' " " What is ' a surprise,' you ridiculous boy ? " "Why, what old Oswald is getting now. Wouldn't I have liked to be there to see his face!" " What is he getting, Frankie ? " "Why, he's hearing all about Olga— that's all." " What about her ? " " Why, that she 's an heiress— got a whole pile of money somewhere, even if the old Baroness don't leave her all hers, which I expect she will. That 's all, mum. Pity I wasn't a bit older, and I 'd have cut old Oswald out ! " "Frank, do you really mean it? Olga always said she hadn't a penny except what the Baroness allowed her." " Neither she had till to-day. It was all tied up as tight as wax. She didn't have a penny, not TJIE doctor's dozen. 248 even the interest of it. till she was of age. If the Baroness hadn't given her a home she 'd have had to go to the workhouse. It was a queer will her father made, and she 's not had anything of her own till now. But now— oh, now it's a very different pair of shoes! Won't old Oswald stare ! " " But why didn't Olga tell him ? why did she only tell you ? " '"Cause I'm too 'cute a chap to be hood- winked, and I was her friend all through, throwing dust into Oswald's ostrich-eyes, for the fellow would never have askc d her if he thought she 'd above a few dozen penny pieces to bless herself with. But I guessed all along a girl like that, coming of such a stock, must have something in the back-ground, and, when I put it to her plump, she told me she should have some money some day, but didn't know how much, and didn't want anything said tiU she could tell all. So we bottled up our information tiU to-day. and now— ' Oh, what a surprise ! ' " "Well," answered Damaris, "I won't pretend that I am either very much astonished, or at all sorry. I had my suspicions before. And dear old Oswald deserves his good luck, though, as you say, he never would have tried to get an heiress if he had known. But she certainly is the very wife m 244 Till-; doctor's dozen. I. i. f ! for him. I don't think anybody could got really low-spirited or disheartened with Olga for a wife. And of course it will be up-hill work i\,v him in that parish, and he is rather given to self-distrust and depression by nature. I think they will make a noble use of their wealth, and be a model clergy- man and his wife. Oh, here they come. I hear their voices. Olga seems to have a great deal to say." ^ "As per usual," nmrmured Frank, as he planted himself upon the rug opposite the door, and stared through his glasses at the advancing pair who came in— Oswald looking bewildered, and Olga dimpling and bubbling over with mirth. As soon as she caught sight of Frank she went otr into a peal of mirth that was irresistibly infectious. " It 's going to be a case of breach of promise of marriage," she said, running over to Frank, and returnmg his glance with one equally full of fun. " He wants to repudiate me, but I'll have the law of him, you see if I don't ; and you '11 be a witness for the prosecution, and bear testimony that he did promise to marry mo. I'll have him up in all the courts. I'll not be treated like this." And thcxi, suddenly breaking off, she glided across the room with her own peculiarly airy motion, and put her arms about Oswald's neck; for he' had THE doctor's dozen. 24i now seated himsolf near to Damaris, still looking bowiklcrod and perplexed. " Dear boj," she said, softly. " you do not really mind, do you ? If you do I Avill give it all away I will " ^ "Found a lunatic asylum with it," suggested Frank, gravely. "That will be the most^appro- priate thing to do, and Oswald shaU have the first nomination to the benefits of the institution." There was a general laugh at this, and Oswald's face cleared as he saw the pleading glance in the eyes of his little betrothed shining through all the mirth and laughter. He drew her fondly to liiin. " I shall get used to the idea. I think I shall learn to be very glad and thankful in time, only I am very much surprised ; and I had no idea that I was aspiring to the hand of an heiress." She suddenly pulled her hand from his and stood up before him, looking very proud and glad. "Do you think I should have loved you as I do if I thought you were ? " she asked. " Was it not because it was the hand of Olga de Witt— not the hand of the heu-ess you wanted, that I was so happy, so glad, so satisfied? Do you think I would divide the honours with my senseless gold? And has it not been my horror all my life that I should Ml a victim to some one who would deceive me, loving my fortune, whilst 240 TilE DOCTOUV DOZEN. I ! r the :.ht ho loved n.c. and only fo„nd out tho iMistako ton hito' ni. ;f ,, . 1 luvo s,„„et„„o.,_rcu,li,,^, tho stories „f otla-r U«, 0,1 l,vc.,-,,,.o,„l„,, . liko fate for .nysolf ou i kept ,t t,rst, and auntio for me. became we both W son.e such thing as that ; and afterward afto. I know you, and tho„ght, and honed_oh She did not Unish the sentence, but slipped her armaout his neclc^ain, net ashamed „fSk-:; o "";,—- ^^o ""-- who loved then! r Th«n. lookmg in his face, she asked half wistfuUy, half triumphantly : "And you are not angry with me, are you » 1 ou forgive me for what I did ? " His answer was not spoken in words, but it abund,antly satisfied oven tho e>.acting Olgiu I f »! :? r^^sQ^i^ 14 H ' out tho now how of other rsclf, you •e secret, wo both forwards, )ed — oh, 5r I was vay, and 'ped her peaking id them ed, half Q you ? but it CHAPTER XVT. UT, after all, tilings wore not pushed through quite so rapidly as was at first contemplated, and before the fixre- wells were said and the travellers speeded across the ocean to their new homo, tho dozen met once again beneath tlie dear old roof of home, to spend tho happy Christmas-tide there together. No one could regret that such was tho case. Despite the brightness of the future opening out for each, the tie of brotherhood was too stron"- for the wrench of parting to bo anything but severe, and when small delays had arisen, and Giles had declared it would bo far better for Dax not to reach Australia till after tho heat of its summer season had passed, no one regretted the decision ; and when at Christmas time the house was filled once more to overflowing — for there were the new sisters and the new brother to bo acconmiodated ill that elastic mansion now — the whole party 247 I! f r. ! f. ! J ^ ! 248 THE doctor's dozen. rejoiced at this happy reunion, before the dav and elder broth of""^ " ""^^^ "' ^^^^ ^--' «../! r ^'"''"er ot all Its inmates. Th.^ donhlo papers ot the impos n? cerpmnn,. ^ oniplovino- tho irlln ceremony, and was i^iuj^iiig- cne laie momenf^j nf fV.^ *. -t i reciting the mo.f fl. *^'^'^'^'^^ ^^ -e described, and they .ore ^ „" t' f:".'.': perfect picture of childish beautv" n, '"* , " bec.„ci„epre.iMe. ln,.^Z:J^l^!^ l%s%ll^:^d!™f :^- -»f -^ ndiculous for anything. ' ' ''"" '^""^ '»» the high f.t.i„.o.^^^^^,^^^^^^^^ dont. It ^.'.gLt these., orfoct pictures 'd/Jd t! » THE doctor's dozen. 24D have their lesson pat. Go on, Roly-Poly, begin from the ' gleaming white robes, and the soft Ml of filmy lace, Avhitc as driven snow, fresh from the breast of the graceful swan.' I do love a Avell- mixed metaphor, and this fellow is a first-rate hand at it." " Hark ! " cried Nancv. raising hor hand. " I 'm I T I " The reports published in the local papers."— Page 248. sure I hoar wheels. It is the carriage coming back. They have come. It is Olga and Oswald, I know it is," There was a general rush of all the children. The elders rose from their scats, but resumed them again, laughing. ''I I ^ 2o0 I I THE DOCTOlt's DOZEN. ■•...^^tr:L:rln.-- - Jlicre ai-e li„,its to the powers of'„, i even of Ukle..- said ft,.„,, ':rov fa J"'',"™'"' a dozen now brothers md sis tort .? '' ^'" Bertha and Giles ■■ ' ™' """nting eyo'd BerthaT " b^f I Ztr ['"f ' *^ '^"•"'"■ daunted b^ riumbm " "^ *" '^'^■'' *"' ^e " Or she 'd have been choked off i ''ell, perhaps so. It •« a IZa ' "8° '- had the courage to he a C. •'"" """=' "' ^» as this. Hallo, 1^ s" ""° '""'' " '»'™'^ a bad halfpenn;rTdid tl^" T "" "«^'" ''"'^ that outlay on rice and „I . ' "'^"' '™ """^^ "J' ^•>eIasto/youCo:L^Sctrel:''l-r you, mum ; the samp tr. Thmk turned oW;::^j;\--;-<'r™nk ».ack that set the whole co,Lt ' T '"""''"^ " This is dolio-htful ■ I ?^ ^ '""' * '^"gh. you do look, frank I a ""'' ""^ ^^"'"-^y ^*^oraiithe^:tt:,ttrhfzr..-^- h«thi:i::;:L:t~-''^3i„,nobod, to stick so much as^ the «„:?/'"""'^™^''^ so chock full of one tSithir '"'"■''"« .™ awful swindle bclondn f , "°" ' '' '« ooionging to such a family_it 's Daniaris ; Klurance only got counting aid Mrs. bright- ^ will be ElgO ? of you family Jn b'ke ide all dseen rhank Frank nding aiigh. nassy spon- body r try ouse It's -it 's THE doctor's dozen. 251 enough to fnghtcn a horse. I say. Olga, doesn't your lieart bcgni to sink at the thought, of what you've been and gone and done? ' Will your fortune, you nught have been my lady by this time wjth a nice extravagant husband on the turf and the entree mto the most fashionable society of the day. And you 've gone and chosen a Avhipping-post of a parson, with a patriarchal family of brothers and sisters, and only one of then, any good " and Frank favoured Olga with one of the looks which always convulsed her, and she sank into a chair breathless with kissing and laughing. " Frankie, you are delightful as usual ; but do let me have a look at everybody : and, oli, I have such a lot to say, I don't know where to begin I)ax, you do look better. I am so glad, Nancy • I don't think you will have much trouble with yourinvalid on the voyage. Tea? Oh, to be sure- I am as thirsty as a fish, and Oswald never thinks of mdulging me with little extras on a journey It must be nearly dinner time though. My news must keep till after dinner; but oh, Damaris, we did just run down to look at our new home— I made my old man take me-and I am just achino- to be there for good, setting things going for the people. And the house is to be ready very soon now. I will tell you everything when I get a chance." ■ '^f^mmmm Mil 252 THE DOCTOR'S DOZEN. f sad, not fc. ttLrt ! '™""y °f ''" *-t 'vas away from thp «r.,.,.„, , . ? """*» '=a'W ^, ™ ""> '"'""f and tria of this worl,I • oquaUy resolved not to Ut tu u7 ' '' -' P-«.g mar the p esen h t " °' """"'^ together agam. '^ ^"^P^^^ "^ l"^"? all 'u all wfre we^rf 'r"'^r'^P«^'™fr''0'l ones had gonlto bed t,T AT ^ ""°" *" ""'« her tale. """ ^'S" '"^ ""« "> tel. and me. It WH „''!f'^°' P""?''^ ''ke Oswald -peetablehj r^; ™t'lf '''^'""^' could live there » '"'*'' ""' "'■'^'• ," ^f ' '° ■' '«'" *o ericd, turning upon him wi'h a bright smile and kindling eves "C T o™bap,.ess:o :;::::-: rir-rt: THE doctor's dozen. 253 the light, the hope, the brightness given to them. It would not be the least use for any people to go there who couldn't be quite independent of outside things— who could not enjoy a laugh at their own failures, at their owr expense, and, after a tumble pick themselves up and start afresh, and walk and work always hand in hand. We must have our o^vn sunshine ready made at home— for it won't be much we shall get outside. The church is the bright spot, though-that is, really beautiful. And, Frankie, I am going to have you down almost farst thmg to see about an organ ; for I mean that to be my thankoffering for all this new happiness that has come to me ; and I believe in music for helping people to understand that we want the worship of the Church below to be something like an echo of the eternal worship of Heaven." She paused a moment, her eyes glowing and sparkling as if With unshed tears, and then suddenly breaking off she plunged into another subject : " The house ? Oh, I shall make that charming in time, though outside it is rather uncompro- misingly bare and new. But I shall coax hrirdy creepers up it— creepers that can stand smoke • and inside it is really very comfortable, and if it wasn't I should love it all the same, because you know it will '- — ^ • - the first home I h; ave ever had of my very own, and 1 and my old man mapn it to be 254 THE Doctor's dozen. it ■ 11 : ii;'! Ir the very best and brightest home that ever wa. • aiid If ever wo are the least bit dull nr low wli J 1 2^T '' '' '' '^ '''''''^'' '"^^^^ ^^ . "Little pass, doesn't she like talking about her husband-..-her 'old mm/" said Damaris later on m the evening, as she muI u^h, escaped from the room for just a few word, together in the frosty moonhght, with the crisp white snow beneath tlieir feet. Giles had received a summons to a patient which had sent him forth, and his ;.vife walked with him as far as the gate holding to his arm and looking up lovingly into nis iaje, ^ o j " It is such a happy, happy Christma .," she said drawing a long breath. .'I never thought once that so much happiness could be ours again It IS not selfish, is it, Giles ? It is not that we forget them or love them less. If they could see us now 1 know they would rejoice in our happiness I believe they do know. I believe that they do rejoice." ^ " I, too, believe that those who are not lost but only gone before have some share in our joys and our happiness," he answered gravely. "I think it is part of the wonderful, mysterious truth embodied in the words-' I bci: ve in the com- mmiion of saints.' My wife n. ■ scarcely ask if . "■»%«.♦•■• a*t' /•-.^Pa THK doctor's dozen. 255 such happiness as that is wrong or selfish. She knows better." " I suppose I do," answered Damaris, drawing a long breath. " I will take it as God's best gift to me, and thank Him for it. I think He will help us to use it as all His gifts should be used — to His honour and glory." Giles was silent for a moment, and then he said softly and gravely : " I think He will, my precious one — nay, I am sure He will. The cloud has lifted from your life, my brave sweet wife. And you need not be afraid of the happiness which has taken its place. Had you not borne the time of trial so bravely, this present sunshine would hardly have shone so brightly." She looked up quickly, smilingly, at him. " I like to be praised by you, Giles — it is very sweet ; but I do not think I deserve it. I did not do anything to be praised for. It was natural to all of us to do what we could because we loved each other." " Exactly. Love was the motive power which ruled your home. And I trust that love will be the motive power of all our lives, Damaris — love to God and love to man. We are going back presently to the old home, and we will rule it after the old fashion. It shall be a happy home for MPHfP mmm n r 25G TJIK DOCTOll's Ihr/AiN, ;"'"^>^ /-"Jed l.y the golden W of love • wl J TO Wtl.t in past years it has been vi^^^^ ^,^7 ^^--^-^---Ioof.Thei;..t^ THE END. >V * , W ; and i ■iglit jiud en, wlicn i>octor's --4