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Page 212
to open the door, having been alerted by Linda ahead of time.
Since Gertrude was asleep, Linda offered to help Mrs. Bates prepare for bed but was refused with laughter. Nonetheless, Peter insisted on glancing around the suite and that Mrs. Bates step into Gertrude's room and check on her. For a moment Linda thought Mrs. Bates was going to lose her temper, but she only sighed, laughed, and trotted softly into the maid's room.
"She's fine, sleeping rather heavily, but she must be tired with all this traveling. Gertrude isn't as young as she once was, you know."
"All right, Aunt Em," Peter replied, "but if she doesn't wake at her usual time in the morning, you call the ship's doctor right away, you hear?"
"I am not deaf," Mrs. Bates snapped, "and I assure you that if I had the faintest suspicion that anything was wrong with Gertrude, I wouldn't wait until morning to call the doctor. I happen not only to be fond of Gertrude but dependent on herand I am not a fool."
"Oh, Peter," Linda said when they were out in the corridor again, "Why did you say that? She's so fond of Gertrude. Surely she wouldn't take any chances without you telling her."
Oddly, Peter didn't turn his head to look at her. Eyes straight ahead, he said, "I suppose you're right. All I did was annoy her. But Aunt Em has been funny about doctors since she was ill."
The rest of the evening was pleasant enough to drive the problem right out of Linda's head,

 
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