in a detached voice, all
passion gone. "You may be right."

She got up, smoothed her hair automatically, drew her peignoir close
about her, and walked out of the room like a woman in a dream. Esther
gazed after her, astonished but relieved. She had feared she would
have to remove her by force. Now that the extraordinary episode was
over she was quite unnerved, her heart beat fast, her hands trembled.

Roger eyed her sympathetically.

"Don't look so upset, Esther," he whispered reassuringly. "You must
tell me presently what happened, though I have a pretty good idea."

They both glanced at the old man. His eyes were closed now, he was
breathing more quietly.

"He seems all right," murmured Esther doubtfully. "I'm still a little
frightened; it--it was terrifying."

He took her arm and drew her well out of earshot towards the window.

"Don't worry too much," he told her. "I shouldn't wonder if the poor
old boy is more used to bursts of temperament than you are, you know!"

She smiled at him gratefully, feeling comforted. It was not till later
that she realised he had a moment ago called her "Esther." It had
seemed perfectly natural.

Soon after lunch she made an excuse to take her patient's temperature,
for she was not yet sure he had suffered no bad effects. However, the
thermometer registered no change. Sir Charles may have noticed the
relief on her face, for he remarked hesitatingly, choosing his words:

"You mustn't take my wife's excitability too much to heart, nurse. It
is true she goes up in the air sometimes, but she always comes down
again. She's rather like a spoiled child, but that may be partly my
fault."

"Of course--you mustn't think I don't understand," she assured him
quickly, thinking what a generous explanation he had given for an
unpardonable offence. The instance she had witnessed of Lady
Clifford's "temperament" was unique in her experience, and she hoped it
would remain so. Not readily would she forget those sharp accents of
rage and--was it fear? She had thought at the time it was fear; she
could not be certain.

It did not surprise her that Lady Clifford should fail to appear at
_dejeuner_, but she was unprepared for the new development announced by
Aline, the maid, who came into the dining-room at the close of the meal
and somewhat portentously informed the doctor that her ladyship was
"_tres souffrante_" and wished to see him at once.

"_Souffrante_, Aline?" repea