A School for Brides Read Online Free Page A

nourishment.
He is asleep again
”—raising her voice as her colleagues rose with the obvious intent of visiting the invalid— “so we must allow him to rest, undisturbed, until the doctor arrives. I have taken the liberty of sending the kitchen boy to Dr. Haxhamptonshire’s”—(Miss Quince correctly pronounced this as
Dr. Hamster’s
)—“and requested he look in on Mr. Arbuthnot this morning. I have also determined, through conversation with the house staff, that a lame horse has been found wandering about in the village streets. No doubt it belongs to Mr. Arbuthnot. I am told,” she said, “that it is an exceptionally fine mare, a thoroughbred.”
    â€œAh!” exclaimed Miss Winthrop. “I knew it! O, omniscient Providence!” she said, clasping her hands together and looking toward the heavens. “You have seen fit to reward our efforts here in this out-of-the-way place! A man of considerable means—and, er, no doubt, cultivation and high moral stature—has been guided to our doorstep. What a wonderful thing for the school!”
    â€œIf somewhat unfortunate for the young man himself,” was Miss Asquith’s sotto voce response to this piece of oratory.
    â€œI believe,” continued Miss Winthrop on a less elevated note, “that I have heard it said that a
small
amount of arsenic—you know we have plenty in the stable, for the rats—has an excellent tonic and stimulating effect. Do you think—?”
    â€œI think,” said Miss Quince, “that we should wait for Dr. Haxhamptonshire. After all, what if we miscalculated the dosage? Recall what even small amounts of arsenic do to rats!”
    After this conversation, poor Miss Quince felt unable to go to her bed for the rest she so sorely needed, resigning herself to a return to the sickroom to defend her patient, at least until after the doctor arrived and gave more authoritative instructions.
    The doctor, while admitting the value of the methods proposed, agreed with Miss Quince. “As he is going on so well, I see no need for more stringent methods. Give him a little liquid refreshment from time to time, as Miss Quince has been doing, and we shall see how he shapes.” When the other ladies seemed likely to take offense at his dismissal of ice water, bloodletting, and arsenic, he allowed as how, should the patient take a turn for the worse, “we can always try them, either singly or in combination, as it will not matter so much
then
, you know.”
    And with this the ministering angels had to be content.

    It was not until more than a week had passed that the students were given a second glimpse of the invalid, as he had remained confined to his bed. Since nine-tenths of the labor required to operate the school was performed by Miss Quince and the servants, and they could not be spared for many hours, Miss Winthop and Miss Hopkins, having nothing else in particular to do, were therefore called upon to spend some time tending to Mr. Arbuthnot’s needs, with a housemaid under strict instructions to report to Miss Quince if either were to offer him anything not ordered by the doctor.
    News from the sickroom was encouraging; besides being rapidly on the mend, Mr. Arbuthnot was reported to be all that was worthy and charming. Robert, who was assisting with the more intimate, and also more physically demanding, aspects of caring for a sick gentleman, confided in Miss Asquith that he bore the miseries of his condition with fortitude, and was of a pleasant and courteous disposition. The three older ladies were pleased to relate how he had repeatedly expressed his gratitude to and admiration for the inhabitants of the Winthrop Hopkins Academy.
    All in all it was agreed (if unexpressed aloud by any save the irrepressible Miss Asquith) that the most practical way in which he could express his gratitude would be to fall in love with one of them and offer her a