"Hold my hand. Soothe me. Let me rest against you."
Maureen immediately put her uninjured hand in Daisy's.
"I want both your darling hands; one isn't enough."
"The other--hurts a little, Daisy, and I--I'm afraid I cannot give it to you."
"Oh, but I _must_ have it," said Daisy, and she gave a fierce grab.
Maureen restrained a scream of pain, then, stifling all emotion by means of a heroism worthy of her nature, she laid both the wounded and the whole hand on Daisy's.
"I'm not going to die, am I?" asked Daisy.
"Not if I can keep you alive, dear, but--Daisy, it is very beautiful in Heaven."
"Talk about it," said Daisy. "Keep on talking. Do they let naughty girls in?"
"But I--I have been shocking bad," replied Daisy, "and even now there is a girl whom I hate--hate--_hate_!"
"I know the girl you mean," said Maureen. "Once I hated her myself."
"Did you really! I didn't think angels could hate."
"Poor thing! It must have been awful when _you_ hated her."
"It was very had for _me_. I don't hate her or anybody now. The other thing is so much nicer."
"Why, of course, Love--beautiful, golden Love. Suppose you and I begin to try that glorious thing."
"I'm very weak," said Daisy, "and hot, hot, oh, _so_ hot. Do you think, White Angel, they would let me in at the Golden Gates, if I cease to hate _her_, the monster they call Maureen?"
"I think so. I'll ask the good Lord about it. You are too weak to pray. Lean on me."
"Oh, I will--I will! It's easy to love you, White Angel. Promise me one thing, please. You won't leave me any more forever! You won't let me go to sleep and then slip away."
"If I do go away, I'll come back very soon. But I'm going to stay with you now."
The whole weight of Daisy's little wasted body was flung across Maureen's wounded hand and arm. Maureen was suffering such tortures that she wondered she didn't faint, but her very pain kept her from this.
Dr. Halsted in a great hurry entered the room. Daisy screamed when she saw him.
"Go away! Go away! I've got a White Angel curing me. Get out of this, you old horror. Oh, hurrah, hurrah! Wherever is Henny? Not that _I_ care. I have got the White Angel; she's worth ten thousand Hennies. Wasn't it fun when I dropped all the laudanum into the mash, and the horse had such beautiful eyes. He gobbled and gobbled and I--I stirred and stirred. I don't seem to remember much else. I think I'm drowsy. Don't you touch me, you horror. The White Angel is _my_ doctor. She is telling me about a place called Heaven."