Sad Cypress Read Free

told me to put it back. And, would you believe it, when I turned round again she'd gone off as sweetly as a child.”
    Nurse Hopkins said, “Was it her husband, do you think?”
    Nurse O'Brien said, “It was not! For this morning I asked Mrs. Bishop, careless-like, what was the late Mr. Welman's first name, and it was Henry, she told me!”
    The two women exchanged glances. Nurse Hopkins had a long nose, and the end of it quivered a little with pleasurable emotion. She said thoughtfully, “Lewis - Lewis. I wonder, now. I don't recall the name anywhere round these parts.”
    “It would be many years ago, dear,” the other reminded her.
    "Yes, and, of course, I've only been here a couple of years. I wonder, now
    Nurse O'Brien said, “A very handsome man. Looked as though he might be a cavalry officer!”
    Nurse Hopkins sipped her tea. She said, “That's very interesting.”
    Nurse O'Brien said romantically, “Maybe they were boy and girl together and a cruel father separated them.”
    Nurse Hopkins said with a deep sigh, “Perhaps he was killed in the war.”

Sad Cypress
    III
    When Nurse Hopkins, pleasantly stimulated by tea and romantic speculation, finally left the house, Mary Gerrard ran out of the door to overtake her.
    “Oh, Nurse, may I walk down to the village with you?” “Of course you can, Mary, my dear.”
    Mary Gerrard said breathlessly, “I must talk to you. I'm so worried about everything.”
    The older woman looked at her kindly. At twenty-one Mary Gerrard was a lovely creature with a kind of wild-rose unreality about her; a long delicate neck, pale golden hair lying close to her exquisitely shaped head in soft natural waves, and eyes of a deep, vivid blue.
    Nurse Hopkins said, “What's the trouble?”
    “The trouble is that the time is going on and on and I'm not doing anything!”
    Nurse Hopkins said dryly, “Time enough for that.”
    “No, but it is so - so unsettling. Mrs. Welman has been wonderfully kind, giving me all that expensive schooling. I do feel now that I ought to be starting to earn my own living. I ought to be training for something.”
    Nurse Hopkins nodded sympathetically.
    “It's such a waste of everything if I don't. I've tried to - to - explain what I feel to Mrs. Welman, but - it's difficult - she doesn't seem to understand. She keeps saying there's plenty of time.”
    Nurse Hopkins said, “She's a sick woman, remember.”
    Mary flushed, a contrite flush. “Oh, I know. I suppose I oughtn't to bother her. But it is worrying - and Father's so - so beastly about it! Keeps jibing me for being a fine lady! But indeed I don't want to sit about doing nothing!”
    “I know you don't.”
    “The trouble is that training of any kind is nearly always expensive. I know German pretty well now, and I might do something with that. But I think really I want to be a hospital nurse. I do like nursing and sick people.”
    Nurse Hopkins said unromantically, “You've got to be as strong as a horse, remember!”
    “I am strong! And I really do like nursing. Mother's sister, the one in New Zealand, was a nurse. So it's in my blood, you see.”
    “What about massage?” suggested Nurse Hopkins. “Or Norland? You're fond of children. There's good money to be made in massage.”
    Mary said doubtfully, “It's expensive to train for it, isn't it? I hoped - but of course that's very greedy of me - she's done so much for me already.”
    “Mrs. Welman, you mean? Nonsense. In my opinion, she owes you that. She's given you a slap-up education, but not the kind that leads to anything much. You don't want to teach?”
    “I'm not clever enough.”
    Nurse Hopkins said, “There's brains and brains! If you take my advice, Mary, you'll be patient for the present. In my opinion, as I said, Mrs. Welman owes it to you to help you get a start at making your living. And I've no doubt she means to do it. But the truth of the matter is, she's got fond of you, and she doesn't want to lose you.”
    Mary said,