Then Kate went to her room feeling faint and heavy. She lay there
most of the day, becoming sorrier for herself, and heavier every
passing hour. By morning she was violently ill; when she tried to
leave her bed, dizzy and faint. All day she could not stand.
Toward evening, she appealed to George either to do something for
her himself, or to send for the village doctor. He asked her a
few questions and then, laughing coarsely, told her that a doctor
would do her no good, and that it was very probable that she would
feel far worse before she felt better. Kate stared at him in dumb
wonder.
"But my school!" she cried. "My school! I must be able to go to
school in the morning. Could that spring water have been infected
with typhus? I've never been sick like this before."
"I should hope not!" said George. And then he told her bluntly
what caused her trouble. Kate had been white to begin with, now
she slowly turned greenish as she gazed at him with incredulous
eyes. Then she sprang to her feet.
"But I can't be ill!" she cried. "I can't! There is my school!
I've got to teach! Oh, what shall I do?"
George had a very clear conception of what she could do, but he
did not intend to suggest it to her. She could think of it, and
propose it herself. She could not think of anything at that
minute, because she fainted, and fell half on the bed, half in his
arms as he sprang to her. He laid her down, and stood a second
smiling triumphantly at her unheeding face.
"Easy snap for you this winter, Georgie, my boy!" he muttered. "I
don't see people falling over each other to get to you for
professional services, and it's hard work anyway. Zonoletics are
away above the head of these country ignoramuses; blue mass and
quinine are about their limit."
He took his time to bathe Kate's face. Presently she sat up, then
fell on the pillow again.
"Better not try that!" warned George. "You'll hurt yourself, and
you can't make it. You're out of the game; you might as well get
used to it."
"I won't be out of the game!" cried Kate. "I can't be! What will
become of my school? Oh, George, could you possibly teach for me,
only for a few days, until I get my stomach settled?"
"Why, I'd like to help you," he said, "but you see how it is with
me. I've got my fall work finished up, and I'm getting ready to
open my office next week. I'm going to rent that nice front room
over the post office."
"But, George, you must," said Kate. "You've taught several terms.
You've a license. You can take it until this passes. If you have
waited from June to October to open your office, you can wait a
few more days. Suppose you OPEN the office and patients don't
come, or we haven't the school; what would we LIVE on? What would
I buy things with, and pay doctor bills?"