"What are you doing there?" he said vaguely.
"I am praying for you, dear friend."
"Praying?" said he. "Pray so that I can hear you."
I was well startled at this. I had prayed with papa; with no
other, and before no other, in all my life. And here were rows
of beds on all sides of me, wide-awake careless eyes in some
of their occupants; nurses and attendants moving about; no
privacy; no absolute stillness. I thought I could not; then I
knew I must; and then all other things faded into
insignificance before the work Jesus came to do and had given
me to help. I knelt down, not without hands and face growing
cold in the effort; but as soon as I was once fairly speaking
to my Lord, I ceased to think or care who else was listening
to me. There was a deep stillness around; I knew that; the
attendants paused in their movements, and words and work I
think were suspended during the few minutes when I was on my
knees. When I got up, the sick man's eyes were closed. I sat
down with my face in my hands, feeling as if I had received a
great wrench; but presently Miss Yates came with a whispered
request that I would do something that was required just then
for somebody. Work set me all right very soon. But when after
a while I came round to Preston again, I found him in a rage.
"What has come over you?" he said, looking at me with a
complication of frowns. I was at a loss for the reason, and
requested him to explain himself.
"You are not Daisy!" he said. "I do not know you any more.
What has happened to you?"
"What do you mean, Preston?"
"Mean!" said he with a fling. "What do you mean? I don't know
you."
I thought this paroxysm might as well pass off by itself, like
another; and I kept quiet.
"What were you doing just now," said he savagely, "by that
soldier's bedside?"
"That soldier? He is a dying man, Preston."
"Let him die!" he cried. "What is that to you? You are Daisy
Randolph. Do you remember whose daughter you are? You making a
spectacle of yourself, for a hundred to look at!"
But this shot quite overreached its mark. Preston saw it had
not touched me.
"You did not use to be so bold," he began again. "You were
delicate to an exquisite fault. I would never have believed
that you would have done anything unwomanly. What has taken
possession of you?"
"I should like to take possession of you just now, Preston,
and keep you quiet," I said. "Look here, - your tea is coming.
Suppose you wait till you understand things a little better;
and now - let me give you this. I am sure Dr. Sandford would
bid you be quiet; and in his name, I do."