. But I did not tell mother of that. I am glad you
have come, my lady. It will make her better."

"Skillick wasn't Australia," said Gwen. "It was some person she lived
with here in England--not so long ago. Somewhere near London. What did
you do to quiet her?"

"I talked to her about Dave and Dolly. That is always good for her--it
seems to steady her. Shall we go in, my lady? I think she heard you."
Again Gwen had an impression that concession had been made to the
inexorable, and that whereas four days ago it was taken for granted that
old Mrs. Picture's collapse was only to be temporary, a permanency of
invalidism was now accepted as a working hypothesis. Only a temporary
permanency, of course, to last till further notice!

CHAPTER XXIV

HOW GWEN INTRODUCED MR. TORRENS, AND MRS. PICTURE TOOK HOLD OF HIS
HAND. OF MR. TORREN'S FIRM FAITH IN DEVILS, AND OLD MAISIE'S
HAPPINESS THEREAT. THE DOCTOR'S MEMORY OF ADRIAN'S FIRST APPEARANCE
AS A CORPSE. THE LAXITY OF GENERAL PRACTIOTIONERS. HIS WISH TO
INTOXICATE MRS. PRICHARD. HOW GWEN SANG GLUCK TO ADRIAN, AND
ONESIMUS BROUGHT HER A LETTER. QUITE A GOOD REPORT. HOW GWEN WASN'T
ANXIOUS. OF ADRIAN'S INVISIBLE MOTHER. HER SELECTNESS, AND HIGH
BREEDING. ADRIAN'S VIEWS ABOUT SUICIDES. SURVIVORS' SELFISHNESS
TOWARDS THEM, HOW HE TALKED ABOUT THAT DEVIL, AND LET OUT THAT THE
OLD LADY HAD FLASHED ACROSS HIS RETINA. HOW HE HAD CLOTHED EACH
TWIN'S HEAD WITH THE OTHER'S HAIR

Has it not been the experience of all of us, many a time, that a few
days' clear absence from an invalid has been needed, to distinguish a
slow change, invisible to the watchers by the bedside? And all the
while, have not the daily bulletins made out a case for indefinable
slight improvements, negligible gains scarcely worth naming, whose total
some mysterious flaw of calculation persistently calls loss?

There may have been very little actual change; there was room for so
little. But Gwen had been building up hopes of an improvement. And now
she had to see her house of cards tremble and portend collapse. She
saved the structure--as one has done in real card-life--by gingerly
removing a top storey, in terror of a cataclysm. She would not hope so
much--indeed, indeed!--if Fate would only leave some of her structure
standing. But she was at fault for a greeting, all but a disjointed word
or two, when Ruth, falling back, left her to enter the bedroom a