shows how ignorant one is. At any rate, in
a few days we may consider him out of danger, mayn't we?"

Sartorius shook his head with slight disparagement.

"I certainly trust so, Miss Clifford, but, frankly, no one can be sure.
If everything continues to go smoothly----"

"But why shouldn't it, doctor?" Lady Clifford asked quickly.

He shrugged his heavy shoulders in a weary fashion.

"My dear lady, I only want to warn you against over-optimism. One
mustn't allow oneself to forget Sir Charles's age and the fact that he
has been in bad health for some time. Weakened as he is now, any
shock, however slight might do irreparable harm. However, there is no
reason for alarm."

Miss Clifford sighed deeply, shuffling the cards over and over.

"I was thinking we were safe out of the woods," she said sadly. "Now
you've depressed me again."

"There is no need," the doctor assured her, patting her shoulder with
the deliberate kindliness he reserved for her. "Barring accidents, we
may hope for good things."

When he uttered the word "accidents" it seemed to Esther that his eyes
rested coldly upon her, quite as though she herself might through some
piece of carelessness endanger Sir Charles's chance of recovery. Why
on earth did he take that suspicious attitude? It had struck her often
the past few days that he was over-critical in regard to her, always
ready to find fault. Yet she knew that Sir Charles liked her and that
as far as she could tell, she had never failed in her duty. She was
glad when the doctor withdrew from the room; she felt she could breathe
again.

"Don't let him upset you," she could not help saying to the old lady:
"I am sure he only wants to be over-conscientious, and--though perhaps
I shouldn't venture to say so--it strikes me Sir Charles has really
quite a lot of fighting power. Why, if he wasn't any worse the other
day----"

The words slipped out before she knew it. She broke off, her face
scarlet. Not for words would she have referred to the incident, least
of all in Lady Clifford's hearing.

"Why, what happened the other day?" inquired Miss Clifford, placidly
dealing.

"Didn't I tell you? I upset a basin of water, almost over him. Wasn't
it stupid?"

It was the first thing that came into her mind. She felt the
Frenchwoman's eyes upon her full of shrewd understanding.

"Oh! Was that all? That couldn't have been very serious."

"I assure you the doctor thought it was."