llowed the use of
his munificence, because he chose to do his duty by his nieces!

"It will be better for us that we shall leave it," she said to
herself as she seated herself in her own arm-chair over the
drawing-room fire.

CHAPTER XXXVIII

Doctor Crofts Is Called In

Mrs Dale had not sat long in her drawing-room before tidings were
brought to her which for a while drew her mind away from that
question of her removal. "Mamma," said Bell, entering the room,
"I really do believe that Jane has got scarlatina." Jane, the
parlour-maid, had been ailing for the last two days, but nothing
serious had hitherto been suspected.

Mrs Dale instantly jumped up. "Who is with her?" she asked.

It appeared from Bell's answer that both she and Lily had been with
the girl, and that Lily was still in the room. Whereupon Mrs Dale ran
upstairs, and there was on the sudden a commotion in the house. In an
hour or so the village doctor was there, and he expressed an opinion
that the girl's ailment was certainly scarlatina. Mrs Dale, not
satisfied with this, sent off a boy to Guestwick for Dr Crofts,
having herself maintained an opposition of many years' standing
against the medical reputation of the apothecary, and gave a positive
order to the two girls not to visit poor Jane again. She herself had
had scarlatina, and might do as she pleased. Then, too, a nurse was
hired.

All this changed for a few hours the current of Mrs Dale's thoughts:
but in the evening she went back to the subject of her morning
conversation, and before the three ladies went to bed, they held
together an open council of war upon the subject. Dr Crofts had been
found to be away from Guestwick, and word had been sent on his behalf
that he would be over at Allington early on the following morning.
Mrs Dale had almost made up her mind that the malady of her favourite
maid was not scarlatina, but had not on that account relaxed her
order as to the absence of her daughters from the maid's bedside.

"Let us go at once," said Bell, who was even more opposed to any
domination on the part of her uncle than was her mother. In the
discussion which had been taking place between them the whole matter
of Bernard's courtship had come upon the carpet. Bell had kept her
cousin's offer to herself as long as she had been able to do so;
but since her uncle had pressed the subject upon Mrs Dale, it was
impossible for Bell to remain silent any longer. "You do not want
me