as I was
tempted to call it; very likely your father and you would not have so
much as winced at it. Then there was Miss Sill, poor old Miss Sill.
Annie, I am afraid you girls laughed at her. Girls will be girls, and
she does dress outrageously. You all said her mantles were worse than my
cap," tenderly touching that untrustworthy piece of head-gear. "When she
sent for your father all of a sudden, just when he had been summoned to
Dr. Hewett's brother, who was very ill, as we knew, while we thought
Miss Sill had only one of her maiden-lady fancies, your father told you
to go over and say he would be with her in the course of the day. But
you found her nearly choking with bronchitis. How you were not
frightened out of your senses, I, who am a great deal more than twice
your age, and the mother of a family, cannot tell. You propped her up
in exactly the right position, saw to the temperature of the room, and
caused her cook to bring in the kitchen boiler and set it to steam on
the hob, before another doctor could be found. Miss Sill told me all
about it afterwards; she believes she owes her life to you."

"Oh, nonsense," protested Annie, "I was a little better than her two
servants, who stood looking at her, and beginning to sob and cry; but I
made several gross mistakes. You told me about them afterwards, father;
it was a great mercy that I did not cause her death."

"So far from that," continued Mrs. Millar, in triumphant defiance, "she
calls you her young doctor to this day, and says she will send for you
in preference to your father or any other doctor the next time she has
an attack."

"Infatuated woman!" declared Annie.

"I have not needed to talk to you in order to get you to go with your
sisters and see her since then. You have gone of your own accord twice
as often, and I am sure you have not laughed at her half so much. In
fact, I believe you are becoming quite attached to her."

"I suppose I am grateful to her for not dying in my unskilled hands. I
am afraid I still think her rather fantastic and foolish; but it does
make a difference in one's judgment of a person to have really rendered
him or her a service. I ought to be fond of Miss Sill, after all, if she
is to rank as my first patient."

Mrs. Millar sank into silence on the instant. She stood convicted in her
own eyes. What had she been doing? Proving to her daughter's
satisfaction that she had the special talents of a nurse!

"I am very glad that