on, who mentioned
your name and got up to the room somehow without the usual formalities.
Of course I didn't know but she had the doctor's permission, and she
came right in. She brought a lot of dirty evening gowns and tried to
give them to my patient, and called her a working-girl; spoke of her
little dead brother as 'the kid,' and was very insulting. I thought
perhaps you would be able to give us a clue as to where the patient was.
She really was too weak to be out alone; and in this bitter cold! Her
jacket was very thin. She's just in the condition to get pneumonia. I'm
all broken up because I thought she was sound asleep. She left a little
note for me, with a pin she wanted me to keep, and five dollars to pay
for her room. You see she got the notion from what that girl said that
she was on charity in that room and she wouldn't stay. I thought you'd
want me to let you know!"

There was almost a sob in the nurse's voice as she ended. Courtland's
heart sank.

Poor Gila! She hadn't understood. She had meant well, but hadn't known
how! Poor fool he, that had asked her to go! She had never had
experience with sorrow and poverty. How could she be expected to
understand?

His anger rose as he listened to a few more details concerning Gila's
remarks. Of course the nurse was exaggerating, but how crude of Gila!
Where were her woman's intuitions? Her finer sensibilities? Where
indeed? But, after all, perhaps the nurse had not understood fully.
Perhaps she had taken offense and misconstrued Gila's intended kindness!
Well, the main thing was that Bonnie was gone and must be hunted up. It
wouldn't do to leave her without friends, sick and weak, this cold
night. She had, of course, gone home to her room. He could easily find
her. He wouldn't mind going out, though he had intended doing other
things that evening; but he had undertaken this job and he must see it
through. Then there was that telegram from Mother Marshall! And her
letter on the way! Too bad! Of course he must make Bonnie go back to the
hospital. He would have no trouble in coaxing her back when she knew how
she had distressed them all.

"I'll go right down to her old place and see if she's there," he told
the nurse. "She has probably gone back to her room. Certainly I will
insist that she return to the hospital to-night."

As he hung up the receiver Pat touched his elbow and pointed to a
messenger-boy waiting for him with a note.

It was Gila's violet-scented