en comes on in the morning, but never so badly as
this. I think it was from the rapid motion.'

'Has he had advice?'

'I cannot persuade him to see any one. Do you think he ought? I would
send at once, at the risk of his being angry.'

'Does Dr. Martyn attend you? Shall I leave a message as I go home?'

'I should be most thankful!'

'It may be nothing, but you will be happier that it should be
ascertained;' and with another kindly nod, he rode off.

Mervyn had gone to his room, and answered her inquiries at the door with
a brief, blunt 'better,' to be interpreted that he did not wish to be
disturbed. She did not see him till dinnertime, when he had a sullen
headache, and was gruff and gloomy. She tried to learn who the friend in
need had been, but he had been incapable of distinguishing anybody or
anything at the moment of the attack, and was annoyed at having been
followed. 'What a pottering ass to come away from a run on a fool's
errand!' he said. 'Some Elverslope spy, who will set it about the
country that I had been drinking, and cast that up to you!' and then he
began to rail against the ladies, singly and collectively, inconsistently
declaring it was Phoebe's own fault for not having called on them, and
that he would have Augusta to Beauchamp, give a ball and supper, and show
whether Miss Fulmort were a person to be cut.

This mode of vindication not being to Miss Fulmort's taste, she tried to
avert it by doubts whether Augusta could be had; and was told that, show
Lady Bannerman a bottle of Barton's dry champagne, and she would come to
the world's end. Meantime, Phoebe must come out to-morrow for a round of
visits, whereat her heart failed her, as a thrusting of herself where she
was not welcome; but he spoke so fiercely and dictatorially, that she
reserved her pleading for the morning, when he would probably be too
inert not to be glad of the escape.

At last, Dr. Martyn's presence in the drawing-room was announced to her.
She began her explanation with desperate bravery; and though the first
words were met with a scoffing grunt, she found Mervyn less displeased
than she had feared--nay, almost glad that the step had been taken,
though he would not say so, and made a great favour of letting her send
the physician to him in the dining-room.

After a time, Dr. Martyn came to tell her that he had found her brother's
head and pulse in such a state as to need instant relief by cupping; and
that the