muttered something unintelligible, and her eyes wandered
past the two children, and fixed themselves vacantly on the opposite
wall.

"I'm not going to be ill," she said, apparently addressing some unseen
person; "I can't be ill, you know. I must take care of the children;
there's no one else to do it."

"She's delirious," whispered Winifred, looking frightened. "I never saw
any one like that before, but I've read about it in books. I'm sure a
doctor ought to see her."

Betty's cheeks were scarlet, and her eyes drooped, but she said nothing,
and in silence they went back to Jack. The little boy looked imploringly
at Winifred, as if with some faint hope that she might be able to set
matters right.

"Do you think she's very ill?" he asked tremulously.

"I think a doctor ought to see her," said Winifred decidedly. "My friend
Lulu Bell's papa is a doctor, and he's very kind. Would you like to have
me ask him to come and see your mother?"

"No," said Betty sharply; "mother doesn't want a doctor; I told you so
before."

"But, Betty," persisted Winifred, "she ought to have some medicine or
something, and we don't know what to do for her. I know mother would
send for a doctor right away if she were at home."

To Winifred's surprise, Betty suddenly put up both hands before her
face, and burst into a passion of crying.

"Oh, what shall we do--what shall we do?" she sobbed, rocking herself
backward and forward in her distress; "we can't have a doctor, mother
said we couldn't; she said we couldn't afford it."

For a moment Winifred stood motionless, uncertain what to do or say.
Jack hid his face in the bedclothes, shaking from head to foot with
sobs. Next instant both Winifred's arms were around Betty's neck.

"I'll tell you what I'll do, Betty," she whispered eagerly. "I'll go and
see Dr. Bell myself, and tell him all about it. He's very kind indeed.
Lulu says he often goes to see poor--I mean people who can't afford to
pay him, and when Lulu's kitty got run over by a trolley-car and had her
leg broken, he set the leg himself, and took such good care of the kitty
that she got all well again. I'll go right away; he's always at home in
the morning, and I know he won't mind coming one single bit. Oh, Betty,
please, please do let me."

Betty wavered, but Jack, lifting his tear-stained face from the pillow,
cried imploringly:

"Yes, do go, Winifred, and, oh, please ask him to come right away.
Mother must have a doctor,