menace to her heart, she saw the evidence of her influence
with Lord Romfrey: the level she could feel that they were on together
so long as she was courageous, inspirited her sovereignly.

He departed at the hour settled for him. Rosamund sat at her boudoir
window, watching the carriage that was conducting him to the railway
station. Neither of them had touched on the necessity of his presenting
himself at the door of Dr. Shrapnel's house. That, and the disgust
belonging to it, was a secondary consideration with Lord Romfrey,
after he had once resolved on it as the right thing to do: and his wife
admired and respected him for so supreme a loftiness. And fervently she
prayed that it might not be her evil fate to disappoint his hopes. Never
had she experienced so strong a sense of devotedness to him as when she
saw the carriage winding past the middle oak-wood of the park, under a
wet sky brightened from the West, and on out of sight.

CHAPTER L. AT THE COTTAGE ON THE COMMON

Rain went with Lord Romfrey in a pursuing cloud all the way to
Bevisham, and across the common to the long garden and plain little
green-shuttered, neat white cottage of Dr. Shrapnel. Carriages were
driving from the door; idle men with hands deep in their pockets hung
near it, some women pointing their shoulders under wet shawls, and boys.
The earl was on foot. With no sign of discomposure, he stood at the
half-open door and sent in his card, bearing the request for permission
to visit his nephew. The reply failing to come to him immediately, he
began striding to and fro. That garden gate where he had flourished
the righteous whip was wide. Foot-farers over the sodden common were
attracted to the gateway, and lingered in it, looking at the long,
green-extended windows, apparently listening, before they broke away to
exchange undertone speech here and there. Boys had pushed up through
the garden to the kitchen area. From time to time a woman in a dripping
bonnet whimpered aloud.

An air of a country churchyard on a Sunday morning when the curate has
commenced the service prevailed. The boys were subdued by the moisture,
as they are when they sit in the church aisle or organ-loft, before
their members have been much cramped.

The whole scene, and especially the behaviour of the boys, betokened to
Lord Romfrey that an event had come to pass.

In the chronicle of a sickness the event is death.

He bethought him of various means of stopping