Do you think Mr. Dawson
is wrong? He told me himself this morning that there was no fear, and
no need to send for another doctor."

"With all respect to Mr. Dawson," I answered, "in your ladyship's place
I should remember the Count's advice."

Lady Glyde turned away from me suddenly, with an appearance of despair,
for which I was quite unable to account.

"HIS advice!" she said to herself. "God help us--HIS advice!"

The Count was away from Blackwater Park, as nearly as I remember, a
week.

Sir Percival seemed to feel the loss of his lordship in various ways,
and appeared also, I thought, much depressed and altered by the
sickness and sorrow in the house. Occasionally he was so very restless
that I could not help noticing it, coming and going, and wandering here
and there and everywhere in the grounds. His inquiries about Miss
Halcombe, and about his lady (whose failing health seemed to cause him
sincere anxiety), were most attentive. I think his heart was much
softened. If some kind clerical friend--some such friend as he might
have found in my late excellent husband--had been near him at this
time, cheering moral progress might have been made with Sir Percival.
I seldom find myself mistaken on a point of this sort, having had
experience to guide me in my happy married days.

Her ladyship the Countess, who was now the only company for Sir
Percival downstairs, rather neglected him, as I considered--or,
perhaps, it might have been that he neglected her. A stranger might
almost have supposed that they were bent, now they were left together
alone, on actually avoiding one another. This, of course, could not
be. But it did so happen, nevertheless, that the Countess made her
dinner at luncheon-time, and that she always came upstairs towards
evening, although Mrs. Rubelle had taken the nursing duties entirely
off her hands. Sir Percival dined by himself, and William (the man out
of livery) make the remark, in my hearing, that his master had put
himself on half rations of food and on a double allowance of drink. I
attach no importance to such an insolent observation as this on the
part of a servant. I reprobated it at the time, and I wish to be
understood as reprobating it once more on this occasion.

In the course of the next few days Miss Halcombe did certainly seem to
all of us to be mending a little. Our faith in Mr. Dawson revived. He
appeared to be very confident about the case, and he assured Lady