ait at least a day or two, and see whether Madame Patoff would talk to
herself again during the night. To tell her father would certainly be to
give an alarm, and would perhaps involve the necessity of putting her
aunt once more under the care of a nurse. John Carvel could not know, as
Hermione knew, that the old lady's resentment against Paul was caused by
her niece's preference for him, and it would not be easy for the young
girl to explain this. But Hermione wished that she might speak to Paul
himself, and warn him of what his mother had said. She sighed as she
thought how impossible that would be. Nevertheless, in the morning light
and in the presence of her maid, while her gold-brown hair was being
smoothed and twisted, and the noises from the street told her that all
the world was awake, the horror of the night disappeared, and Hermione
almost doubted whether her aunt had really spoken those words at all. If
she had, it had been but the angry out-break of a moment, and should not
be taken too seriously.

XXI.

It was probably curiosity that induced Professor Cutter to pay a visit
to Constantinople in the spring. He is a scientist, and curiosity is the
basis of all science, past, present, and future. His mind was not at
rest in regard to Madame Patoff, and he found it very hard to persuade
himself that she should suddenly have become perfectly sane, after
having made him believe during eighteen months that she was quite mad.
After her recovery he had had long interviews with Mrs. North, and had
done his best to extract all the information she was able to give about
the case. He had studied the matter very carefully, and had almost
arrived at a satisfactory conclusion; but he felt that in order to
remove all doubt he must see her again. He was deeply interested, and
such a trifle as a journey to Constantinople could not stand in the way
of his observations. Accordingly he wrote a post-card to John Carvel to
say that he was coming, and on the following day he left England. But he
likes to travel comfortably, and especially he is very fond of finding
out old acquaintances when he is abroad, and of having an hour's chat
with scientific men like himself. He therefore did not arrive until a
week after John had news of his intended journey.

For some reason unknown to me, Carvel did not speak beforehand of the
professor's coming. It may be that, in the hurry of preparation for
moving up the Bosphorus, he forgot