The poor child's passionate jealousy had no doubt
prompted her letter, as well as her desire to take leave of the
object of her love; and knowing her strange character as I did, I was
sure the idea was adding tenfold to the misery of the dreadful
illness that was coming on her.
I had to pursue Harold to the potteries, where one of the workmen
directed me to him, as he was helping to put in order some machine
for hoisting that was out of gear. "Bless you, ma'am," said the man,
"he is as strong as any four of we."
When I found him, his consternation was great, and he quite agreed
with me that I had better go up that very afternoon and take charge
of Dora, since Baby Jack answered for it that Randall Horsman would
be most grateful and thankful.
Harold found out the hours for the trains, and did everything to
expedite me. He made it certain that poor little Dora had not been
vaccinated. When she was born, no doctor lived within sixty miles of
Boola Boola, and nobody had ever thought of such a thing.
"And you, Harry?" I asked, with a sudden thrill of alarm.
"Do you expect me to remember?" he asked with a smile.
I begged him to look for the moons upon his arm, and at any rate to
undergo the operation again, since, even if it had been done in his
infancy, the effect might have worn out, and it was only too probable
that in the case of a child born on board a sailing vessel, without a
doctor, it had been forgotten.
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