ith her husband grows more and more
deplorable and dangerous every day. If you leave her any longer at
Blackwater Park, you do nothing whatever to hasten her sister's
recovery, and at the same time, you risk the public scandal, which you
and I, and all of us, are bound in the sacred interests of the family
to avoid. With all my soul, I advise you to remove the serious
responsibility of delay from your own shoulders by writing to Lady
Glyde to come here at once. Do your affectionate, your honourable,
your inevitable duty, and whatever happens in the future, no one can
lay the blame on you. I speak from my large experience--I offer my
friendly advice. Is it accepted--Yes, or No?"

I looked at him--merely looked at him--with my sense of his amazing
assurance, and my dawning resolution to ring for Louis and have him
shown out of the room expressed in every line of my face. It is
perfectly incredible, but quite true, that my face did not appear to
produce the slightest impression on him. Born without
nerves--evidently born without nerves.

"You hesitate?" he said. "Mr. Fairlie! I understand that hesitation.
You object--see, sir, how my sympathies look straight down into your
thoughts!--you object that Lady Glyde is not in health and not in
spirits to take the long journey, from Hampshire to this place, by
herself. Her own maid is removed from her, as you know, and of other
servants fit to travel with her, from one end of England to another,
there are none at Blackwater Park. You object, again, that she cannot
comfortably stop and rest in London, on her way here, because she
cannot comfortably go alone to a public hotel where she is a total
stranger. In one breath, I grant both objections--in another breath, I
remove them. Follow me, if you please, for the last time. It was my
intention, when I returned to England with Sir Percival, to settle
myself in the neighbourhood of London. That purpose has just been
happily accomplished. I have taken, for six months, a little furnished
house in the quarter called St. John's Wood. Be so obliging as to keep
this fact in your mind, and observe the programme I now propose. Lady
Glyde travels to London (a short journey)--I myself meet her at the
station--I take her to rest and sleep at my house, which is also the
house of her aunt--when she is restored I escort her to the station
again--she travels to this place, and her own maid (who is now under
your roof) receives her