beat quickly and painfully with
anger and misery. As he passed Helen she asked him in the same weary,
unnatural, but determined voice to fetch her more ice, and to have the
jug outside filled with fresh milk.

When he had done these errands he went to find Hirst. Exhausted and very
hot, St. John had fallen asleep on a bed, but Terence woke him without
scruple.

"Helen thinks she's worse," he said. "There's no doubt she's frightfully
ill. Rodriguez is useless. We must get another doctor."

"But there is no other doctor," said Hirst drowsily, sitting up and
rubbing his eyes.

"Don't be a damned fool!" Terence exclaimed. "Of course there's another
doctor, and, if there isn't, you've got to find one. It ought to have
been done days ago. I'm going down to saddle the horse." He could not
stay still in one place.

In less than ten minutes St. John was riding to the town in the
scorching heat in search of a doctor, his orders being to find one and
bring him back if he had to be fetched in a special train.

"We ought to have done it days ago," Hewet repeated angrily.

When he went back into the drawing-room he found that Mrs. Flushing was
there, standing very erect in the middle of the room, having arrived,
as people did in these days, by the kitchen or through the garden
unannounced.

"She's better?" Mrs. Flushing enquired abruptly; they did not attempt to
shake hands.

"No," said Terence. "If anything, they think she's worse."

Mrs. Flushing seemed to consider for a moment or two, looking straight
at Terence all the time.

"Let me tell you," she said, speaking in nervous jerks, "it's always
about the seventh day one begins to get anxious. I daresay you've been
sittin' here worryin' by yourself. You think she's bad, but any one
comin' with a fresh eye would see she was better. Mr. Elliot's had
fever; he's all right now," she threw out. "It wasn't anythin' she
caught on the expedition. What's it matter--a few days' fever? My
brother had fever for twenty-six days once. And in a week or two he was
up and about. We gave him nothin' but milk and arrowroot--"

Here Mrs. Chailey came in with a message.

"I'm wanted upstairs," said Terence.

"You see--she'll be better," Mrs. Flushing jerked out as he left the
room. Her anxiety to persuade Terence was very great, and when he left
her without saying anything she felt dissatisfied and restless; she did
not like to stay, but she could not bear to go. She wandered from roo