rned and said:
"Madame will pardon me, but she must be brave and not show monsieur she
notices any change. Ze doctor said it was a terrible shock to his
nervous system--that fire. Monsieur has not been ze same since, _pas
du tout_ ze same. Ze doctor he says that these symptoms will all
disappear once he gets home and has a good rest. It is only ze shock,
I assure madame."
Helen listened appalled, her face growing whiter each moment, her lips
trembling. He had met with an accident, then, after all! Her instinct
had spoken truly. Her darling was ill. That explained his long
silence. He had been too ill to write. He had gone through a terrible
shock and he had come home ill, very ill, quite changed. Her voice
faltering she said:
"What are the symptoms?"
"Monsieur's memory is so bad, madame. He forgets. Only to-day, as ze
ship came up ze harbor, I ask monsieur if he expect madame to meet us
at ze dock. _C'est vraiment incroyable_! He turned to me, with a look
of ze greatest surprise, and asked: 'Who ze devil is madame?'"
"What! Didn't he seem to remember me, even?" A look of distress came
over her face.
The valet shook his head.
"Non, madame." Quickly he added: "But it is nothing. It is only
temporary."
"Didn't he know my sister and Mr. Steell? Didn't they greet him at the
dock?"
"Yes, madame. They spoke to him and he spoke to them. But he was not
himself. They seemed surprised. They will tell madame."
Helen fell back, sick and faint. Why had she not known this before?
She would have gone down to meet him, thrown herself weeping into his
arms. He would have known her then--who better than he would recognize
that perfume he loved so well? He would have taken her in his strong
arms and kissed her passionately. If he was not himself it was because
he was ill. The shock had affected his memory! Poor darling husband,
he must be well nursed. A few days of her devoted care and he would be
all right again. Of course, it was nothing serious. Kenneth had led
too clean and wholesome a life for anything grave to be the matter. If
only he would come! God grant that he return to her as he went away!
As the unspoken prayer died away on her lips, there was the chugging of
an automobile stopping suddenly at the curb.
"_Les voici_!" cried Francois, dropping into his native tongue in his
excitement.
He threw open the wide doors and the next instant Ray ran up the steps.
Helen,
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