[MUTE] F she catches the rats, she will be welcome here. You can be sure of t

[Burce M. <act...@oi...>]

W." "I don't want to go," said Miss Rose. "You must, you will be needed
later. She will need great care tonight, I think." At ten, Miss Rose
returned. She had not rested much, and was glad to get back to the
bedside. "Here is my telephone number, Miss Rose. You can get me very
soon by calling me up. Watch her carefully, and if you see any change at
all, send for me at once." "Do you think there may be a change tonight?"
Miss Rose looked straight into his face to see just what he meant. "Yes,
Miss Rose, there may be, and I hope it will be for the better." "You
hope?" Miss Rose held her breath a minute. "Yes, let us hope. Hope does
more than all the medicine in the world." The minutes crept along into
hours, and midnight passed, while Miss Rose watched. Clematis seemed
restless, but she did not talk to herself any more. Miss Rose held the
glass to her lips now and then, but she did not drink. When Miss Rose
wiped her face with a cold, wet cloth, she smiled a faint little smile,
as if she liked it. Then the look of pain would come again, as she
turned restlessly. The clock outside struck one. How slowly the minutes
went. At last it struck two, and a breeze stirred the leaves outside.
They were the leaves of the maple Clematis had broken in the early
Spring. Now they seemed to whisper softly to each other. All else was
silent. Miss Rose had watched a long time. Many days she had been by the
bed. Her eyes began to droop. "I'll rest my head just a minute," she
thought, and leaned back upon the chair. Slowly the clock struck three.
As the last stroke came, Miss Rose stirred, and opened her eyes. Then
she started up. "I must have been asleep," she said aloud. "Oh, shame on
me for sleeping, when I promised to watch." She looked down at the bed.
Clematis lay there, peaceful and quiet. Her little hand was white and
still as marble. Her face seemed very happy. All pain was gone, and a
smile lay upon the pale lips. "Oh, little Clematis. To think I should
have been asl