Page:Cornelia Meigs--The island of Appledore.djvu/138

120 Sally got up, marched to the fireplace and took down the candle that burned on the mantel.

“I can’t stand it any longer,” she said firmly; “I’m going to see who’s up there.”

“No, no,” cried Billy, “you shan’t; you mustn’t. If you have to find out, I am the one to go.”

“You can’t go,” she returned briefly. “Captain Saulsby will lie still for you, but I can’t do anything with him. You can’t leave him.”

This was so true that Billy was forced to accept it. He did remove his arm for a minute, but the restless patient sat up at once and had to be forced down again among the pillows.

“You see,” said Sally, almost triumphantly, and went on toward the stairs.

“Sally, don’t,” gasped Billy again, but he pled in vain.

“I can’t stand it not to know,” was Sally’s only answer. When once she was set upon a thing it was quite impossible to turn her, a  fact that had never been so well proved as  now. She advanced to the stairs, leaving Billy in the dark, climbed to the first landing