Betty Neels - Damsel In Green.txt Read online

  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?"

  "I had some work to do here it seemed a good idea to kill two birds with one

  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 decidedr />
  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