Nurse Hopkins said with emotion:
“It was a beautiful funeral!”
Nurse O’Brien responded:
“It was, indeed. And the flowers! Did you ever see such beautiful flowers? A harp of white lilies there was, and a cross of yellow roses. Beautiful.”
Nurse Hopkins sighed and helped herself to buttered teacake. The two nurses were sitting in the Blue Tit Café.
Nurse Hopkins went on:
“Miss Carlisle is a generous girl. She gave me a nice present, though she’d no call to do so.”
“She’s a fine generous girl,” agreed Nurse O’Brien warmly. “I do detest stinginess.”
Nurse Hopkins said:
“Well, it’s a grand fortune she’s inherited.”
Nurse O’Brien said, “I wonder…” and stopped.
Nurse Hopkins said, “Yes?” encouragingly.
“’Twas strange the way the old lady made no will.”
“It was wicked,” Nurse Hopkins said sharply. “People ought to be forced to make wills! It only leads to unpleasantness when they don’t.”
“I’m wondering,” said Nurse O’Brien, “if she had made a will, how she’d have left her money?”
Nurse Hopkins said firmly:
“I know one thing.”
“What’s that?”
“She’d have left a sum of money to Mary—Mary Gerrard.”
“Yes, indeed, and that’s true,” agreed the other. She added excitedly, “Wasn’t I after telling you that night of the state she was in, poor dear, and the doctor doing his best to calm her down. Miss Elinor was there holding her auntie’s hand and swearing by God Almighty,” said Nurse O’Brien, her Irish imagination suddenly running away with her, “that the lawyer should be sent for and everything done accordingly. ‘Mary! Mary!’ the poor old lady said. ‘Is it Mary Gerrard you’re meaning?’ says Miss Elinor, and straightaway she swore that Mary should have her rights!”
Nurse Hopkins said rather doubtfully:
“Was it like that?”
Nurse O’Brien replied firmly:
“That was the way of it, and I’ll tell you this, Nurse Hopkins: In my opinion, if Mrs. Welman had lived to make that will, it’s likely there might have been surprises for all! Who knows she mightn’t have left every penny she possessed to Mary Gerrard!”
Nurse Hopkins said dubiously:
“I don’t think she’d do that. I don’t hold with leaving your money away from your own flesh and blood.”
Nurse O’Brien said oracularly:
“There’s flesh and blood and flesh and blood.”
Nurse Hopkins responded instantly:
“Now, what might you mean by that?”