"Sir Charles Bassett here! Oh, his poor wife! What drove him mad? Poor,
poor Sir Charles!"

"Oh, he is all right. They have cured him entirely; but there is no
getting him out, and he is beginning to lose heart, they say. There's a
literary swell here can tell you all about it; he has come down
expressly: but they are in a fix, and I think you could help them out.
I wish you would let me introduce you to him."

"To whom?"

"To Mr. Rolfe. You used to read his novels."

"I adore him. Introduce me at once. But Sir Charles must not see me,
nor know I am here. Say Mrs. Marsh, a friend of Lady Bassett's, begs to
be introduced."

Sly Vandeleur delivered this to Rolfe; but whispered out of his own
head, "A character for your next novel--a saint with the devil's own
temper."

This insidious addition brought Mr. Rolfe to her directly.

As might be expected from their go-ahead characters, these two knew
each other intimately in about twelve minutes; and Rolfe told her all
the facts I have related, and Marsh went into several passions, and
corrected herself, and said she had been a great sinner, but was
plucked from the burning, and therefore thankful to anybody who would
give her a little bit of good to do.

Rolfe took prompt advantage of this foible, and urged her to see the
Commissioners in Lunacy, and use all her eloquence to get one of them
down. "They don't act upon my letters," said he; "but it will be
another thing if a beautiful, ardent woman puts it to them in person,
with all that power of face and voice I see in you. You are all fire;
and you can talk Saxon."

"Oh, I'll talk to them," said Mrs. Marsh, "and God will give me words;
He always does when I am on His side. Poor Lady Bassett! my heart
bleeds for her. I will go to London to-morrow; ay, to-night, if you
like. To-night? I'll go this instant!"

"What!" said Rolfe: "is there a lady in the world who will go a journey
without packing seven trunks--and merely to do a good action?"

"You forget. Penitent sinners must make up for lost time."

"At that rate impenitent ones like me had better lose none. So I'll arm
you at once with certain documents, and you must not leave the
commissioners till they promise to send one of their number down
without delay to examine him, and discharge him if he is as we
represent."

Mrs. Marsh consented warmly, and went with Rolfe to Dr. Suaby's study.

They armed her with letters and written facts, and she rode off at