‘O Helen, for God’s sake, take her out of here.’
You hear that, don’t you.
Do you hear?
He can’t stand to have her come near him.
He doesn’t want her in the room.”
“Stop!
Stop!
For God’s sake, stop!” Eugene said, clawing at his throat.
The girl was for the moment insane with hatred and hysteria.
“It may be a terrible thing to say, but if he dies I shall hate her.
Do you think I can forget the way she’s acted?
Do you?”
Her voice rose almost to a scream.
“She’s let him die here before her very eyes.
Why, only day before yesterday, when his temperature was 104, she was talking to Old Doctor Doak about a lot.
Did you know that?”
“Forget about it!” he said frantically.
“She’ll always be like that!
It’s not her fault.
Can’t you see that?
O God, how horrible!
How horrible!”
“Poor old mama!” said Helen, beginning to weep.
“She’ll never get over this.
She’s scared to death!
Did you see her eyes?
She knows, of course she knows!”
Then suddenly, with mad brooding face, she said:
“Sometimes I think I hate her!
I really think I hate her.”
She plucked at her large chin, absently.
“Well, we mustn’t talk like this,” she said.
“It’s not right.
Cheer up.
We’re all tired and nervous.
I believe he’s going to get all right yet.”
Day came gray and chill, with a drear reek of murk and fog.
Eliza bustled about eagerly, pathetically busy, preparing breakfast.
Once she hurried awkwardly upstairs with a kettle of water, and stood for a second at the door as Bessie Gant opened it, peering in at the terrible bed, with her white puckered face.
Bessie Gant blocked her further entrance, and closed the door rudely.
Eliza went away making flustered apologies.
For, what the girl had said was true, and Eliza knew it.
She was not wanted in the sick-room; the dying boy did not want to see her.
She had seen him turn his head wearily away when she had gone in.
Behind her white face dwelt this horror, but she made no confession, no complaint.
She bustled around doing useless things with an eager matter-of-factness.
And Eugene, choked with exasperation at one moment, because of her heavy optimism, was blind with pity the next when he saw the terrible fear and pain in her dull black eyes.
He rushed toward her suddenly, as she stood above the hot stove, and seized her rough worn hand, kissing it and babbling helplessly.
“O mama!
Mama!