moved to one of the private rooms of the pay-ward,
and charged the Sisters to take special care of her. "Above all things,"
he murmured, with a beetling frown, "tell that thick-headed nurse not to
let her know that this is at anybody's expense. Ah, yes; and when her
husband comes, tell him to see me at my office as soon as he possibly
can."

As he was leaving the hospital gate he had an afterthought. "I might
have left a note." He paused, with his foot on the carriage-step. "I
suppose they'll tell him,"--and so he got in and drove off, looking at
his watch.

On his second visit, although he came in with a quietly inspiring
manner, he had also, secretly, the feeling of a culprit. But, midway of
the room, when the young head on the pillow turned its face toward him,
his heart rose. For the patient smiled. As he drew nearer she slid out
her feeble hand. "I'm glad I came here," she murmured.

"Yes," he replied; "this room is much better than the open ward."

"I didn't mean this room," she said. "I meant the whole hospital."

"The whole hospital!" He raised his eyebrows, as to a child.

"Ah! Doctor," she responded, her eyes kindling, though moist.

"What, my child?"

She smiled upward to his bent face.

"The poor--mustn't be ashamed of the poor, must they?"

The Doctor only stroked her brow, and presently turned and addressed his
professional inquiries to the nurse. He went away. Just outside the door
he asked the nurse:--

"Hasn't her husband been here?"

"Yes," was the reply, "but she was asleep, and he only stood there at
the door and looked in a bit. He trembled," the unintelligent woman
added, for the Doctor seemed waiting to hear more,--"he trembled all
over; and that's all he did, excepting his saying her name over to
himself like, over and over, and wiping of his eyes."

"And nobody told him anything?"

"Oh, not a word, sir!" came the eager answer.

"You didn't tell him to come and see me?"

The woman gave a start, looked dismayed, and began:--

"N-no, sir; you didn't tell"--

"Um--hum," growled the Doctor. He took out a card and wrote on it. "Now
see if you can remember to give him that."

CHAPTER XVI.

MANY WATERS.

As the day faded away it began to rain. The next morning the water was
coming down in torrents. Richling, looking out from a door in Prieur
street, found scant room for one foot on the inner edge of the sidewalk;
all the rest was under water. By noon the sidewalks were