and plunged once into the early morning ritual of cleaning and sterilising
and making ready. Only Gregg lingered. She ignored Georgina and smiled
bewitchingly at the Dutchman, conscious that her make-up was perfection and
her hairstyle immaculate. She said, at her most charming, "Night Nurse is
off duty---perhaps I can help you, sir?"
Georgina swallowed rage. Night Nurse indeed! She was just as trained as
Gregg was herself, but in the circumstances, powerless to do anything about
it. The Professor wasn't, however. He flashed her a look, and if she hadn't
known that her tired eyes were playing her false, she could have sworn that
he winked. His voice, when he spoke, was silken.
"Good of you--er--Nurse. You allude to Staff Nurse Rodman, I believe. Yes,
indeed you may help, if you please. Be kind enough to take over from her at
once--I have something I wish to discuss with her."
His smile dismissed her. Georgina found herself walking to the door rolling
down her sleeves as she went, and putting on hastily snatched up cuffs.
Outside in the corridor he said pleasantly, "I thought that we might as well
divulge our plans to Comelis; that is, if you can spare the time?" She
nodded merely, being far too busy keeping up with his long legs. Halfway up
the stairs to Children's he stopped and said apologetically, "I forget that I
cover the ground somewhat faster than most people--and you must be tired."
She admitted that she was, tried to imagine him being tired himself and
failed utterly. They heard Comelis long before they saw him--apparently
there was something he didn't fancy for breakfast. He was, in fact, on the
point of hurling a bowl of porridge at the attendant nurse when he saw them
coming down the ward. His small, intelligent face brightened and he thrust
the offending food at the nurse as he shouted a greeting at them.
"Cousin Julius--George! How super to have you both at once. I say, George,
do tell Nurse to take this beastly stuff away--I won't eat it." He was
peeping at his guardian as he spoke.
The Professor said nothing at all, indeed, there was a faint smile on his
face, although his brows were raised in mild enquiry. Georgina put the bowl
down on the bed table in front of Cor, and said with the cunning of one
versed in the treatment of childish tantrums:
"You'll grow into a very small man, you know." She put the spoon in his hand.
"Why?"
"Because if you don't eat, you don't grow, and some things make you grow more
than others. Porridge, for example. You said the other day that you
intended to be as big as your guardian."
"You mean Cousin Julius?" He was watching her under lowering brows.
"Yes, I do."
"Why don't you call him Julius?"
"Well..." she cast a look at the Professor, who was standing, hands in
pockets, watching with what she considered to be unnecessary enjoyment. He
said now, without looking at her, "You're not being polite. Cor. In fact,
you are being particularly unpleasant. You will apologise, please." His
blue eyes surveyed his small cousin, and Georgina, watching, could see the
affection in them.
"Look old chap, we know your legs are uncomfortable and you're hating every
minute of lying strung up like this, but that's no excuse for being rude."
He smiled, a wide kind smile that made her heart bounce against her ribs.
Cor smiled too.
"Sorry, Cousin Julius," he said, all at once cheerful.
"I was a rude pig, wasn't I?" He repeated himself, delighted with the words.
"George, darling George, I'm truly sorry, I was a rude..."
She interrupted him.
"All right, Cor. We know you didn't really mean it. Now eat up your
porridge so that we can talk."
He started to spoon the cooling nourishment.
"All of us?" he enquired, his mouth full.
"Why are you so early. Cousin Julius?"
stone." He caught Georgina's expressive eye and said on a chuckle, "What a
singularly inept remark!"
She replaced the empty bowl with a boiled egg and some bread and butter, and
sat down thank fully on the stool the Professor had fetched for her. She
turned her attention to Cor and kept her eyes on him while the Professor
talked.
"I've news for you. Cor. It's the seventeenth today the day after tomorrow
you are coming home." He put a large, well-kept hand, just too late to
prevent the bellow of delight from Cor.
"Let me finish I've work to do, even if you haven't, and unlike you, I've not
yet had my breakfast; nor has Nurse. You'll have all this rigging until
after the New Year. You know that, don't you? And there will be X-rays at
intervals and Uncle Sawbones to see you from time to time.
Staff Nurse Rodman will look after you. "
Cor put down his bread and butter and stared at his guardian as though he
couldn't believe his own small ears.
"George? Coming home with us all? Julius, you're absolutely super. I'll be
home for Christmas.. I'll be so good... Julius, dear Cousin Julius, I love
you!"
The big man's eyes were very kind.
"Yes, I know, old man. We all miss you, you know you'll have to stay in your
room; but we can all come in and out, and Miss Rodman will be with you for a
great deal of the time."
Cor turned a starry gaze on Georgina.
"You'll like coming, won't you, George?" he asked anxiously.
"I'm thrilled. I can't think of anything I'd rather do." She found to her
astonishment that she meant it--indeed, her delight at the prospect left her
startled at its intensity. She went off into a brown study, watched by the
Professor with no expression on his face at all, and by Cor with considerable
bewilderment. She looked up and smiled at him, so that her tired face was
touched with beauty.
"I was just thinking of the fun we'll have getting you on your feet again,"
she said cheerfully, and was rewarded by his grin.
She stayed a little longer while the Professor told her his arrangements.
She was to be at the ambulance bay at four o'clock on the nineteenth, with
whatever luggage she would require. He politely deplored the fact that she
would be unable to have a full day's sleep, but assured her that she should
go to bed as early as she wished on reaching Dalmers Place. He himself would
be unable to accompany them, but Mr. Sawbridge would make sure that
everything was in order before they left the hospital and had agreed to be at
the house by the time they arrived in order to supervise the re-erection of
the Balkan frame with its attendant weights and pulleys.
"Why don't you do it. Cousin Julius?" Cor demanded.
"My dear fellow, I haven't a clue; I daresay Staff Nurse Rodman knows more
about it than I do." He smiled at her, and she gave an answering chuckle,
well aware that he was perfectly capable of putting up twenty Balkan frames
if he so had the mind. He got to his feet.
"Go to bed. How thoughtless of me to keep you like this!" His eyes searched
her face.
"We are all happy to have you with us. Beatrix is l
onging to see you again."
Georgina said quickly, "Oh, is she? I am glad. I wanted to write to her,
but it didn't seem-that is, I didn't care to..." she came to a halt
awkwardly.
"My dear girl, I understand, although your fears were groundless. You are
the last person I would accuse of pushing yourself forward."
She looked relieved.
"Beatrix didn't think I had forgotten her?"
"No," he assured her gravely, 'never that. "
She said goodbye to them then, and went first to Cas, ignoring a furious
Gregg to give a brief report to Sister, and then to the dining-room, where,
as she so often was, she was the last. She was barely seated at the table
before a voice enquired, "What's all this, George--dating handsome
consultants in Children's before eight o'clock in the morning!"
Another voice chimed in, "Obviously he likes the early bird." There was a
shriek of laughter, and Night Super, sitting with her sisters at the other
end of the dining-room, raised her eyebrows and smiled. It was tacitly
agreed that the night nurses needed to let off steam when they came off duty;
she went on with her breakfast, and wished that she was with them, sharing
the fun.
Georgina spooned sugar into her tea with a lavish hand.
"It's my early morning charm," she explained imperturbably, though her cheeks
were pink.
"There's nothing like a red nose and wispy hair to enhance my type of good
looks."
"Yes. But why choose Children's--it's the least romantic of places," asked
the Night Staff from that ward.
"Give us the facts, George."
Over several slices of toast, lavishly loaded with butter and marmelade, she
told them. When she had finished, there was a silence lasting at least ten
seconds until someone said, "How funny--the other day we were all
taking--remember?--and George said she wasn't sure what she wanted to do, and
now it's all cut and dried. Take some pretty clothes," she added.
Georgina put down her empty cup.
"I can't," she said.
"Professor Eyffert wants me to wear uniform all the time."
This announcement was met by a stunned silence. Then, "George, you can't--I
mean, you're not a nun or anything--what about meals with the family?
They'll all be dolled up and you'll be like Little Orphan Annie in a cap and
Apron. You will have meals with the family, I suppose?"
"I don't know. He didn't say. Perhaps I'll eat alone." It sounded dull and
lonely.
"I'll let you know," she said cheerfully, as they rose like a flock of rather
bedraggled white pigeons from the table. But all the while she was getting
ready for bed, the thought that she shouldn't have agreed to nurse Cor nagged
her. She finally went to sleep in the middle of a dignified and rather
complicated refusal to do so, instantly forgotten, however, when she went on
duty that evening and found a postcard from Beatrix which, though lacking in
literary effort, left no doubt as to her delight as seeing Georgina again.
CHAPTER FOUR
they got to Dalmers Place just after six. It had been a slow journey, and a
not very easy one, both from Georgina's point of view and her patient's, and
now she drew a sigh of relief as the ambulance turned into an open gateway
guarded by a half- timbered lodge which looked too small for occupation, but
obviously was not, for the front door was flung open and a tall but bent old
man, accompanied by a short stout woman, stood on the step waving vigorously.
Georgina described them to Cor, who had been alternating between dozing and
childish outbursts of impatience, and he brightened considerably, "That's Mr.
Legg, our gardener, and Mrs. Legg who helps in the house-we're home, George!"
The door stood open; there were lights everywhere and a number of people, but
Georgina was fully occupied in helping the ambulance men get Cor up to his
room. She was vaguely aware of a square panelled hall, with a huge fire
blazing in a massive fireplace, and a great many lighted lamps, and then a
broad staircase, with shallow uncarpeted stairs, giving on to a wide corridor
that had steps up and steps down for no apparent reason, and a great many
little passages running into it.
Cor's room, luckily, opened on to the corridor, and its door was wide.
They came to a halt by the bed, the Balkan frame and all its attendant
paraphernalia ready beside it. Cor had had his eyes shut, but now he opened
them and beamed happily from a white little face.
"This is my room, George," he said with such joyful pride that she was able
to realise just how much it had meant to him to come home again. But there
was no chance to do more than smile at him, for Mr. Sawbridge, true to his
promise, emerged from the window recess and advanced to meet them. Cor had
seen him too.
"Uncle Sawbones! How glad I am to see you, for I'm so tired and my legs hurt
a little; but George says I've been very good and I'm to have what I fancy
for supper... Where's everyone?" he finished anxiously.
Dr. Sawbridge wandered round the bed, taking off his jacket as he did so.
"They're downstairs in the sitting-room. Cor. You see, we can't have them
up here, rushing round and getting in the way, until Nurse and I have tied
you up again. Wouldn't do, would it--er--George?"
"That it would not," she answered vigorously.
"We might get into an awful muddle and put you back to front or sides to
middle or something, and that would never do."
They got down to work with a good deal of laughing and joking to help along
the rather tedious business of getting Cor's thin legs exactly right and the
weights exactly as they should be. At length Mr. Sawbridge was satisfied.
He put his jacket on again and then stood watching while Georgina lengthened
the pulley hanging from the Balkan frame, so that Cor could reach it easily.
"We'll give him a night's sleep. Staff, then we'll get those legs X-rayed,
just to make sure that our admirable work hasn't misfired."
Georgina murmured, "Yes, sir," wondering about the X-ray. Surely they
wouldn't have to take Cor all the way to the nearest hospital just as they
had got him settled. Mr. Sawbridge caught her eye.
"There's a portable rigged up in the dressing- room next door--we can wheel
it in when it's wanted." He shook Cor's hand and said, "I'm going to take
Nurse away for a minute while I tell her about your legs. Lie quiet, there's
a good chap, and I'll tell the others they can come up and see you."
He ushered Georgina out of the door and they stood outside in the corridor
while he gave her his instructions.
"Don't let his brother and sisters stay too long," he ended.
"He's tired, and so are you, are you not? Supper and off to sleep for him as
soon as you can manage it.
Staff. I'll be down about midday tomorrow. "
They said good night, and she went back into Cor's room and started to tidy
away the considerable mess they had made while she listened to Cor's excited
voice weighing the merits of scrambled eggs and mushrooms against those of an
omelette with a great deal of cheese and bacon in it. He had barely decided
on the omelette when the door was flung open and Beatrix came in; she was
followed by a boy of twelve or thirteen-Georgina supposed he was Franz--and a
very pretty girl, with thick fair hair hanging to her shoulders and the
largest blue eyes Georgina had ever seen. This would be Dimphena. She
smiled at them all and said in her friendly way, "Hallo-- I'll leave you with
Cor, only do be very careful not to bump the bed, won't you?" then prepared
to retire to the window, where there was a small table, and make out her
charts and report book;
but Cor cried, "George, come here please, I want you to meet my brother and
sisters--at least you know Beatrix already."
That young lady, having embraced her brother,
had launched herself upon Georgina with every sign of delight.
"George," she shrieked, "I've had my stitches out! Cousin Julius did it, and
I didn't cry and he gave me fifty pence, which is a great deal of money."
She paused for breath, and Dimphena and Franz, who had been talking to Cor,
chorused, "Beatrix, stop talking just for a minute!"
She giggled and was obligingly quiet, just long enough for Cor to make the
introductions. Dimphena smiled with a shy friendliness which endeared her to
Georgina immediately, and Franz gave her a wide grin which made him look very