They had passed through the last cold corridor, between the last rows of rigid white cots, and had come out into the sunshine.Below them stretched Connecticut, painted in autumn colors.Sister Anne seated herself upon the marble railing of the terrace and looked down upon the flashing waters of the Sound.
"Yes; that's it," she repeated softly--"one must live."Sam looked at her--but, finding that to do so made speech difficult, looked hurriedly away.He admitted to himself that it was one of those occasions, only too frequent with him, when his indignant sympathy was heightened by the fact that "the woman.was very fair." He conceded that.He was not going to pretend to himself that he was not prejudiced by the outrageous beauty of Sister Anne, by the assault upon his feelings made by her uniform--made by the appeal of her profession, the gentlest and most gracious of all professions.He was honestly disturbed that this young girl should devote her life to the service of selfish sick people.
"If you do it because you must live, then it can easily be arranged; for there are other ways of earning a living."The girl looked at him quickly, but he was quite sincere--and again she smiled.
"Now what would you suggest?" she asked."You see," she said, "I have no one to advise me--no man of my own age.I have no brothers to go to.I have a father, but it was his idea that I should come here; and so I doubt if he would approve of my changing to any other work.Your own work must make you acquainted with many women who earn their own living.Maybe you could advise me?"Sam did not at once answer.He was calculating hastily how far his salary would go toward supporting a wife.He was trying to remember which of the men in the office were married, and whether they were those whose salaries were smaller than his own.Collins, one of the copy editors, he knew, was very ill-paid; but Sam also knew that Collins was married, because his wife used to wait for him in the office to take her to the theatre, and often Sam had thought she was extremely well dressed.Of course Sister Anne was so beautiful that what she might wear would be a matter of indifference; but then women did not always look at it that way.Sam was so long considering offering Sister Anne a life position that his silence had become significant; and to cover his real thoughts he said hurriedly:
"Take type-writing, for instance.That pays very well.The hours are not difficult.""And manicuring?" suggested Sister Anne.
Sam exclaimed in horror.
"You!" he cried roughly."For you! Quite impossible!""Why for me?" said the girl.
In the distress at the thought Sam was jabbing his stick into the gravel walk as though driving the manicuring idea into a deep grave.He did not see that the girl was smiling at him mockingly.
"You?" protested Sam."You in a barber's shop washing men's fingers who are not fit to wash the streets you walk on IGood Lord!" His vehemence was quite honest.The girl ceased smiling.Sam was still jabbing at the gravel walk, his profile toward her--and, unobserved, she could study his face.It was an attractive face strong, clever, almost illegally good-looking.It explained why, as , he had complained to the city editor, his chief trouble in New York was with the women.With his eyes full of concern, Sam turned to her abruptly."How much do they give you a month?" "Forty dollars," answered Sister Anne."This is what hurts me about it," said Sam.
It is that you should have to work and wait on other people when there are so many strong, hulking men who would count it God's blessing to work for you, to wait on you, and give their lives for you.However, probably you know that better than I do.""No; I don't know that," said Sister Anne.
Sam recognized that it was quite absurd that it should be so, but this statement gave him a sense of great elation, a delightful thrill of relief.There was every reason why the girl should not confide in a complete stranger--even to deceive him was quite within her rights; but, though Sam appreciated this, he preferred to be deceived.
"I think you are working too hard," he said, smiling happily.
"I think you ought to have a change.You ought to take a day off! Do they ever give you a day off?""Next Saturday," said Sister Anne."Why?""Because," explained Sam, "if you won't think it too presumptuous, I was going to prescribe a day off for you--a day entirely away from iodoform and white enamelled cots.It is what you need, a day in the city and a lunch where they have music; and a matinee, where you can laugh--or cry, if you like that better--and then, maybe, some fresh air in the park in a taxi; and after that dinner and more theatre, and then I'll see you safe on the train for Greenwich.Before you answer," he added hurriedly, "I want to explain that I contemplate taking a day off myself and doing all these things with you, and that if you want to bring any of the other forty nurses along as a chaperon, I hope you will.Only, honestly, I hope you won't!"The proposal apparently gave Sister Anne much pleasure.She did not say so, but her eyes shone and when she looked at Sam she was almost laughing with happiness.
"I think that would be quite delightful," said Sister Anne,"--quite delightful! Only it would be frightfully expensive;even if I don't bring another girl, which I certainly would not, it would cost a great deal of money.I think we might cut out the taxicab--and walk in the park and feed the squirrels.""Oh!" exclaimed Sam in disappointment,--"then you know Central Park?"Sister Anne's eyes grew quite expressionless.
"I once lived near there," she said.
"In Harlem?"
"Not exactly in Harlem, but near it.I was quite young," said Sister Anne."Since then I have always lived in the country or in--other places."Sam's heart was singing with pleasure.
