I told him, and Mrs. Gannon put in a word for me. I was reliable,
she said, and if too much experience was not wanted, would do better
than such and such a one--naming certain persons, probably
neighbors.

But the doctor's steady look told me he relied more on his own
judgment than on anything she or I could say.

"Can you hold your tongue?" he asked.

I started. Who would not have done so?

"I see that you can," he muttered, and glanced down at my dress.
"When can you be ready?" he inquired. "You may be wanted for days,
and it may be only for hours."

"Will ten minutes be soon enough?" I asked.

A smile difficult to fathom crossed his firm lip.

"I will give you fifteen," he said, and turned towards the door. But
on the threshold he paused and looked back. "You have not asked who
or what your patient is," he grimly suggested.

"No," I answered shortly.

"Well," said he, "it is Mrs. Pollard, and she is going to die."

Mrs. Pollard! Mrs. Gannon and I involuntarily turned and looked at