day. His cab was already at the
door, and we said good-bye to him on the hotel steps.

He shook hands with me in silence, and turned to Robin.

"Three fingers, and not too much soda, and then put him straight to
bed," he commanded.

Then he turned to me again.

"Don't sit up and worry, old man," he said. "Go to bed, anyhow. The
doctor and your womenfolk will do all that can be done. Your duties
commence to-morrow. Keep your tail up, and face it out. _Noblesse
oblige_, you know. Good-night."

He drove away, and Robin and I returned to the sitting-room.

Robin mixed me a stiff whisky-and-soda.

"Champion's prescription," he said. "Down with it!"

I obeyed listlessly.

"Now come along upstairs with me. You are going to bed. I want to turn
you out a first-class Candidate in the morning--not a boiled owl."

His cheery masterfulness had its effect, and I suddenly felt a man
again.

"Never fear!" I said. "I shall go through with it right enough--the
whole business--unless--unless--Robin, old man, supposing--supposing----"

"Blethers!" said Robin hastily. "She'll be much better in the morning.
Here's your room. Good-night!"

He shepherded me into my bedroom, shut the door on me, and tiptoed away.

I really made a determined effort to go to bed. I actually lay down and
covered myself up, but sleep I could not. After an hour of conscientious
endeavour I rose, inspired with a new idea.

The doctor had straitly forbidden me to enter Phillis's room; but
opening out of it was the apartment that was used as her nursery. There
would be a fire there: I would spend the rest of the night on a sofa in
front of it.

I looked at my watch. It was one o'clock. I took a candle, walked softly
down the passage, and let myself quietly into the nursery. The door
leading into Phillis's room was ajar, and a slight smell of some drug or
disinfectant assailed my sharpened senses.

The room was in darkness, except that a good fire burned in the grate. A
silent figure rose up from before it at my entrance.

It was Robin. Somehow I was not in the least surprised to see him there.

"Come along," he said softly. "I was expecting you."

* * * * *

We sat there for the rest of the long night. The house was very still,
but every quarter of an hour the Cathedral chimes across the Close--our
rooms lay in a quiet wing of the hotel, which formed a hollow square
with the Cathedral, Chapter-house, and Canonrie