He shook hands with Cuckoo, told
her to sit down, and sat down himself opposite to her.
"What is the matter? Please tell me your symptoms," he said gently.
"Eh?" was the reply, spoken in a thin and high voice.
"What has been troubling you?"
Cuckoo, who was wholly unaccustomed to answer a doctor's questions,
started violently. She fancied from his words that he had divined the lie
she had told when she said that she was ill, and knew that she came for a
mental reason. Instinctively she connected the word "trouble" with the
heart, in a way that was oddly and pathetically girlish. Acting upon this
impulse she exclaimed:
"Then you know as I ain't ill?"
Doctor Levillier was still more surprised. Not understanding what was in
her mind, he entirely failed to keep pace with its agility.
"Why do you come to me, then?" he asked.
"Oh," she returned, with a quickly gathering hesitation, "I thought as
perhaps you knew."
"I! But we have never met before."
The doctor bent his eyes on her searchingly. For a moment he began to
wonder whether his visitor was quite right in her head. Cuckoo shuffled
under his gaze. The very kindliness of his face and gentleness of his
voice made her feel hot and abashed.
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