forced to contemplate such a mess. "
He eyed her without speaking, drank the remains of his coffee, and answered
cheerfully, "Well, it's only for this morning, isn't it?"
Georgina went pink.
"I didn't mean to be rude." She spoke rather breathlessly, and felt snubbed
when he took no notice of this remark, but began in a businesslike way to
enumerate the items on his list--days off;
her laundry, the use of the car;
her hours of duty and what did she feel about being called at night, or
should he make some arrangement to cover this possibility.
"Good gracious, no," she said.
"Cor's not likely to wake, and even if he does, it's not likely to be for
hours on end, is it?"
They agreed about the few remaining points and he threw the envelope into the
basket.
"I must go," he said.
"Thanks for coming down--I hope it didn't bother you."
"We go on duty early in hospital," Georgina reminded him.
"It was nothing unusual." He looked at his watch and she said quickly,
"Before you go, I promised the children I would ask you if you objected to
them calling me George--amongst themselves, that is." She saw his frown and
went on hurriedly, "I don't mind, and I can't see that it matters." His
eyebrows soared, and she added, "That is if you don't mind. Professor."
He got up.
"As long as you are persuaded that your professional status is in no way
infringed upon." He gave her a cool glance.
"You will, I hope, have no objection if I continue to address you as Nurse
Rodman."
He gave her a brief nod of farewell; and was gone before she could think of
anything suitable to say in reply. She went back upstairs, very slowly,
feeling puzzled as to the cause of the Professor's sudden and unexpected
spurt of ill-humour. She went into Cor's room, and found him awake. He
greeted her with a cheerful good morning and asked:
"Have you been up long, George? Did you see Cousin Julius? I heard him
go--he always toots twice as he goes under my window. He's got a busy day
before him," he added rather importantly.
"I don't doubt it," observed Georgina, 'and so have we, start this very
minute by taking your temperature. "
She had done this and was helping him to wash his hands and face when they
were joined by Beatrix. She stood in her dressing gown watching while
Georgina combed her patient's hair and remarked grumpily:
"Why can't you look after me as well?"
"You're not ill--Cor's not ill, either," amended Georgina hastily.
"What I mean is, you're not strung up by the legs, are you? I shall only
look after Cor until he's able to look after himself?"
"I should like to be looked after," persisted Beatrix.
"You looked after me in hospital."
"Bless you, child, that's what I'm there for, but I daresay I can look after
you just a very little while I'm here; just so long as it doesn't interfere
with what I have to do for Cor. If you go and get dressed now, I'll help you
with your hair if you like, and later on, when I've got Cor settled, we'll do
some planning."
Half an hour later, leaving Cor to his breakfast, she went downstairs again,
with Beatrix in close attendance, to find Franz already at the table, eating
at a great rate. He got hastily, said, "Excuse me if I go on, George," and
sat down again.
Georgina said understandingly, "Ah, school. Do you have far to go?"
He shook his head.
"No, I go by bike."
"Will you be going to boarding school?"
He looked surprised and a little shocked.
"Oh, no. My father wouldn't have liked that, and nor does Julius. You see,
we are half Dutch, and they don't send their children to boarding schools. I
shall go to Cambridge when I'm older though. Karel is there now--he's coming
home this weekend.
He applied himself to his breakfast once more, and Georgina busied herself
with Beatrix's wants and then saw to her own. They had almost finished and
Franz had gone when Dimphena came in, looking prettier than ever, "Oh dear,"
she said with faint apology, "I'm always last. I shall hate getting up early
when I go to that wretched school."
"No, you won't," said Georgina soothingly.
"Everyone else gets up too and it never seems so bad."
Dimphena turned enquiring blue eyes upon her.
"Did you go to a school like that?" she wanted to know.
Georgina smiled: "No, but in hospital we all get called at half past six,"
and laughed out loud at Dimphena's look of horror before continuing, "I don't
know what Beatrix does in the morning, but I wondered if she would like to
come along to Cor's room later and we could play cards or I could read to
them both. Professor Eyffert told me that you would sit with Cor while I go
out for an hour or so after lunch. Is that all right?"
Dimphena nodded.
"Yes, of course. And Beatrix is dying to be allowed to play with Cor, aren't
you, Beatrix?"
Georgina studied the small face beaming at her across the table.
"That's settled, then," she said.
"I've got a few things to do for Cor now, and then he'll be X-rayed, but
we'll have plenty of time before lunchtime."
The morning passed quickly; more quickly than she had expected. Mr.
Sawbridge arrived earlier than she had expected, bringing the radiographer
with him. They busied themselves over Cor's leg's for half an hour or so,
and when they had finished, Mr. Sawbridge said, "Well, that's done for
another month, old man," and sat down on his patient's bed.
"What do you intend to do with yourself all day?"
Cor looked thoughtful.
"I don't exactly know, but George says we're going to make plans."
Mr. Sawbridge glanced over at Georgina, who was writing cryptic details of
the morning's work on to her chart.
"Plans, Nurse?" and she answered airily:
"I've so many in my head, I doubt if we can carry out half of them before
he's on his feet again."
He nodded; it looked as though Julius had made a good choice when he had
asked Nurse Rodman to look after his small cousin. He got up.
"In that case, I'll not keep you from them a moment longer. If you would be
kind enough to walk with me to the door. Nurse, I'm sure I can say all I
need to in that time."
Out in the corridor he told her, "I'll be sending a physiotherapist down very
shortly--if she explains what is needed, do you think you could manage to
carry on the treatment between her visits?"
She agreed, and he went on, "Cor's an intelligent child with an active brain.
You'll have your work cut out to keep him content and happy."
"A good thing," said Georgina cheerfully, 'because there are a great many
things we can do together. " She offered no further information as to what
these things were, however, and after a moment he bade her goodbye.
At the head of the staircase he looked back.
"May I call you George?" he asked.
Georgina's nice eyes twinkled.
"Yes of course, sir. Everyone--well, almost everyone," she amended, thinking
of the Professor, 'calls
me that. "
Beatrix came up presently and the three of them played some rather noisy
paper games, while the three animals who appeared to have taken on the duties
of bodyguard to Cor, looked on. Georgina let the two children shout as much
as they wanted, judging that they would be more easily persuaded to be quiet
during the afternoon. As they prepared for lunch. Cor was tired enough to
agree readily enough to lie still and look at his books while Dimphena kept
him company and Georgina went for a walk.
She changed quickly, intent on walking to the village and back. She had
eaten too much of the delicious lunch she had shared with Dimphena and
Beatrix; exercise would be both salutary and a pleasure. She was in the act
of crossing the hall, when Beatrix, dressed untidily in her outdoor clothes,
came tearing down the stairs, calling:
"Please may I come with you, George? I'm so lonely. I won't talk if you
don't want to and I can walk very fast--Cousin Julius says so."
She lifted a rather woebegone face to touch Goergina's soft heart. She had
wanted to be by herself so that she could think, but she had to admit
honestly to herself, her thoughts would have been largely of Dr. Eyffert, it
would be a good idea to have company. She smiled at the small girl.
"I'd just love to have you with me, darling. Can you walk as far as the
village? You shall tell me all about it on the way, and I want to buy one or
two things as well."
She bent to re-button the small coat and dropped a soft kiss on the rosy
cheek, and was instantly hugged for her pains.
"Oh, George, I do like you-we all like you, of course, but me most."
The walk was a great success. It was a fine cold afternoon and they stepped
out briskly, hand-in- hand, with Beatrix chattering like a magpie, her
conversation heavily interlarded with references to Julius, who quite
obviously had the lion's share of her small heart.
"He's not married," she confided.
"He says when he finds someone as nice as me and Dimphena rolled into one
he'll whisk her to the altar.
But he's getting very old, you know--he's thirty-three. I suppose you
wouldn't like to marry him, George dear? "
Georgina looked down at her companion in complete astonishment which changed
almost at once to pink-cheeked confusion. She managed a smile, however, and
said carefully:
"Well, you know, darling, when two people marry they have to know each other
very well indeed, and your guardian and I are--are only business
acquaintances. He employs me to nurse Comelis, in the same way as he would
engage a governess or--or an au pair girl."
Her companion gave a small snort.
"George, how silly! I don't mean you, only you're not a bit like a governess
or au pair girl. We hated the one we had. She used to pinch us..."
Georgina slowed her steps and looked searchingly at Beatrix.
"Darling, not really?"
The little girl nodded.
"Yes, she did, but we didn't tell Cousin Julius because he dislikes
talebearers. Georgina suppressed a smile. Both children, and
Dimphena too for that matter, had a habit of quoting their guardian.
She had no doubt that if she were to engage in conversation with Franz, he
too would eulogise his cousin, even if in schoolboy language. She sighed,
thrusting aside the thought that she herself could very easily come under
their guardian's spell.
It was after dinner that evening, while she was settling Cor against his
pillows, preparatory to reading, him and Beatrix a good night story, that
Stephens entered with the information that she was wanted on the telephone.
She sped downstairs, thinking about Great-Aunt Polly, who could have tripped
up and broken one of her poor useless old legs, or knocked her head on the
high brass fender she insisted upon keeping in the sitting-room. Stephens
had said in the study--she opened the door and found Dimphena sitting on her
guardian's desk, speaking a language Georgina failed to recognise, but when
she saw Georgina, she changed to English and said, "Here she is now," and
jumped off the desk: "Cousin Julius wants to talk to you," she smiled, and
went through the door, shutting it quietly behind her.
Georgina picked up the receiver and spoke in the terse voice of one who had
expected bad news and then found it wasn't.
when the Professor answered in his calm, faintly accented voice:
"You sound annoyed. Nurse. I have caused you inconvenience, perhaps?"
She blushed.
"No--no, really. I thought perhaps.. my aunt..."
He understood at once.
"Ah, yes, naturally. I see no reason why you should not telephone your aunt
daily. I suggest that you do so."
She said "Thank you' and became aware of a background of distant voices to
their conversation. Was he in hospital? she wondered, before applying
herself to giving a brief and accurate report as to Cor's day. When she had
finished, he said " Yes, yes," in an impatient way, 'and what have you done
with your free afternoon. Nurse Rodman?"
She told him about her walk and was astonished when he interrupted her
sharply to say, "The children are not to encroach upon your free time.
I shall see that this doesn't happen again. "
She pinkened with indignation and glared crossly at a portrait on the wall
beside her. It was of a rather nice old lady, long since dead, for she was
wearing a stiff white dress and a severe little black cap trimmed with
pearls. She returned Georgina's wrathful gaze with a steady blue eye which
reminded her forcibly of the Professor's. She was still struggling to think
of an answer when he said on a laugh:
"Now I've annoyed you, haven't I?"
Georgina frowned at the old lady.
"You're too severe," she said with the regrettable impulsiveness which had
got her into so much hot water during her training.
"Beatrix was lonely--haven't you ever been lonely? She has no mother she can
chatter to, and she adores you and you're away all day..." she stopped and
added shakily, "Oh, dear, I'm sorry!" and waited resignedly.
His voice came silkily to her shrinking ear.
"Yes, Miss Rodman, I'm at a party--I offer that as a statement, not an
excuse. And since you ask, I have frequently been lonely too. You do not
need your professional training to link these two facts, I imagine. Good
night."
She put down the receiver with a hand that shook a little. It was ridiculous
to mind that he was angry with her, and still sillier to feel sorry for him.
She went slowly upstairs and started to read Faithful John to Cor and
Beatrix, but for most of the time she wasn't thinking about what she was
doing, but hearing a voice--the Professor's voice, telling her that he had
been lonely.
CHAPTER FIVE
georgina awoke early after a wakeful night. She had gone to bed quite late,
half hoping that the Professor would come home before she went upstairs and
she would have the chance to apologise, but she had been in bed for quite
some time befo
re she heard the car's murmur as it passed beneath her windows.
She dressed presently and went downstairs, outwardly composed in her neat
uniform but inwardly quaking; but he had already gone.
That morning when she had readied Cor for the day and had brushed Beatrix's
hair until it shone, she produced the little red book. She had sat up in bed
the night before, writing in it, and now she began to read the contents to
the two children.
"Because," she explained, 'there are so many things to do each day, I thought
it would be a good idea if I wrote some of them down, and we can decide
between the three of us when we'll do them. " She looked at Cor.
"Do you speak Dutch, Cor?"
He gazed at her as though she had taken leave of her senses.
"Well, of course I do, George. Cousin Julius and me, we often speak it--we
all do."
"Well, I don't," said Georgina.
"How about giving me a lesson each morning? I'm a complete duffer at