te little dinner upon
a table which he set near the bed, all noiselessly--it had been arranged
outside--and she would select just the tenderest morsels for John
Derringham, or some turtle soup?--He was not hungry!--Well, never mind,
she would feed him!--and he must be good and let her pet him as she felt
inclined.

She was looking quite extraordinarily beautiful, with all the light of
triumph in her sparkling eyes, and she sat down upon the bed and
actually pretended that if he were disobedient she would put pieces into
his mouth!

John Derringham was a man--and, although he felt very ill and feeble,
after she had made him drink some champagne, the seduction of her began
to go to his head. Stimulant of any kind was the last thing he should
have had, and would have caused the nurse a shock of horror if she had
known. How it all came about he could not tell, what she said or he said
he could never remember, only the one thing which stood out was that as
the time for the nurse's return arrived, he knew that Cecilia
Cricklander was kissing him with apparent passion, which he felt in some
measure he was returning, and that she was murmuring: "And we shall be
married, darling John, as soon as you are well."

He must have said something definite, he supposed.

But, at that moment, the nurse was heard in the next room and his
_fiancee_--yes, his _fiancee_--got up and, when the woman came in in her
stiff nurse's dress, slightly apologetic that she had been so long, she
was greeted by this speech from the lady of the house:

"Ah, Nurse Brome, you have been so good to Mr. Derringham, you must be
the first to wish us happiness and share our news. We are going to be
married as soon as ever you get him well--so you must hasten that, like
the clever woman you are!"

And she had laughed, a soft laugh of triumph, which even in his
light-headed state had seemed to John Derringham as the mocking of some
fiend.

Then she had left him quickly, while the footman carried the table from
the room--and after that he remembered nothing more, he had fallen into
a feverish sleep. But the next morning, when he awoke, he knew captivity
had indeed tumbled upon him, and that he was chained hand and foot.

And all the day his temperature went up again, and he was not allowed to
see even Arabella of the kind heart, who would have come and condoled
with him, and even wept over him if she had dared, so moved did the good
creature feel at his fate