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ns. And then was the I two omen hsh wome I coudn be Sit. One less-than rf and robust' the other had Jks on her han and ans But Ioth thir faces the rcflection of thatm Frank s, bar We, I ont o iC0 any more' except

stay te until mye0 told roel had

toget away leke I would1 Frankiumselfl me bar to this edge of the and onto the mam road asaln

* . .

.-------

And there I was met by three of the servants. They wouldn't come near me, but they dashed away along the road to inform their master that a leper was approaching, because that's how they now looked upon me.

"Tommy was waiting for me in the middle of the compound and he was so full of emotion and rage that he spluttered; then he ordered me into the bath house, and I said to him, "Why the bath house?" Such was his rage he forgot himself and spoke in the vernacular, yelling, "Get in there and strip off!" Not undress, strip off."

Now she put her hand up to her face and began to laugh.

""Why?" I asked him. "Because you're going to take a bath," he said.

""Oh, is that all?" So away I went into the bath house and I stripped off, but when I put my hand into the water and it stung-I don't know exactly what was in it, but something besides carbolic-but there I was standing in my bare pelt when he came to the door and the very sight of me like that caused him to close his eyes. It did. It did. Her head was bobbing now. hen he ordered me to get into the bath.

""Not on your life," I said. "That isn't only carbolic. I don't know what you've put in it but I'm not getting into that."

'I went to grab my clothes, but he was there before me. He didn't touch them, though; he had a stick in his hand with which he whipped them aside. Then what d'you think he did? He started to poke me with the stick." She stopped and covered her face with her hand for a moment before she said, "I can laugh at it Jtnow: that dignified, pompous individual, poking with a stick. But it had an effect when he poked 'Jua a certain place and I lost my footing and over JJ-SNT with a terrible scream. But I didn't go under, waist-high, and there he was, standing above me, bar mg at me, "Duck your head!

Duck your head!" dislfand not duck my head, and I wasn't going to duck

child"" head, but instead I thrust out my hands, and you see they are quite large hands, and they were "rays very strong. Horses don't only strengthen your Ittocks but they have the same effect on your hands Jjtd your arms, too, so when my hands gripped his disuser tops and pulled at them, which action must J bar ve been painful to certain parts of his anatomy, he disbar bar still his footing and the next minute there he was in bath, fully clothed and face down."

Her mouth now opened in a gape as she drew in a

"lg breath efore she went on, I... I was stinging Ignd burning in every pore. I started to laugh and when II pulled myself from under him, he, struggling in the Jy water, went down again. And then I was out within seconds he was out too." Her head was n back and when she spluttered, "No swain could i thrown off his clothes quicker to get to his bride did Thomas Freeman Wheatland that night." ihn roared, and Leonard held his ribs tightly and 1 the tears, ran down his face before he could entreat bar er, Please! Please, Daisy!" bar

'Oh. Oh, I'm sorry, Leonard." bar John was on his feet now, his face still awash with t tears, his mouth wide, and leaning over Leonard, saying, "Are you all right?"'

"Yes. Yes," Leonard gasped; "just give me a tablet," and he pointed towards the side table.

A minute later, seeing the concern in Daisy's face, he said, "It's all right, Daisy. You're...y're a marvel. But now tell John the rest. That'll quieten us down."

"Sure you're all right?"' said John. "Shall I call Johnson?"'

"No. No. A laugh like that is the best medicine in the world. You should know that a doctor."

He turned to look at the big, gaunt face again and said, "Go on, Daisy. Finish it."

Sitting back in the chair Daisy put her forearm under what must have been her withered breasts and heaved them upwards slightly before, looking at John, she said, he following day there was a letter on my breakfast tray. It was to the effect that if I wished to remain his wife and not be sent home in disgrace, or words to that effect, then I must promise to obey him, in all ways-oh yes, he added those words, in all ways-but mostly I must promise never to go near the leper colony or to speak with Prank La-Mode again. He ended by saying that he would be up country for the next four days and that he would expect my answer on his return."

There was a pause before she said, 'Well, I wrote him my answer. It was to the effect that, before the leper incident, I had intended to return to England, my wish being that he would divorce me, as I knew our marriage had been a grave mistake. But now, since my acid bath, or whatever it was, and by the way" comshe now nodded at John- "it left me feeling skinned: for weeks I looked as if I had been boiled, lifaen my body started to peel it was a very painocess. Anyway, I said that it was a toss-up CT I retued to England or went to work in the y colony, but that after much thought I had deon the latter course. And I finished the letter gj.-.

the words: "Some people are afraid of the death

"11 never experience, but die they will some day." so I went into the leper colony as a helper, and disness there for seven years."

"bar bar No?"' John was shaking his head.

All their faces de sombre now, and Daisy said,

"Yes, and I can Besdy say they were the saddest yet at the same e the happiest days of my life. And you know, it

8 very strange, but in the second year there I began jget parcels of medicine and first-aid materials from Jople in other districts of whom I'd previously jwn nothing." jllWhy did you leave after seven years?"' asked John E" ifly now.

Frank insisted on it. My esh began to drop off literally. I had been a big woman and I became 'jm and bone, as you see me now." She held out her bar faands. "Yet, I never contracted the disease. It was

S 'What did your husband do about all this?"'

H She remained silent for a moment before she said, jlWhat could he do? He'd lost face, which was an Hawfiil thing. I was sorry about that because the na*bar tives talk. He wasn't moved from his position-I was be glad of that-but he died from malaria the year after I came back to England. At least, that's what it was I put down to. But he had never got on with a certain t tribe and had made an enemy of the witchdoctor.

And the servants, I understood, said this man had put a curse on him and prophesied he would die on a certain day and had sent him word to that effect.

And he did die, so I'm told, on that very day.

It was his assistant who spread the story. But I don't think it was a story. I realise now that Tommy was terrified of death and I've always blamed myself for the words I put on the end of that etter.

Yet, at the time I was suffering bodily agony from whatever chemical he had put in that bath.

It obviously wasn't really acid or I wouldn't be here now. But even Frank, who happened to be a doctor' comshe nodded now at John- "he couldn't put a name to what might have been mixed in with the carbolic. Carbolic is bad enough, you know, but I don't think it would have left me the way it did, or him. But it was his face and hands that caught it most.

His clothes and the speed with which he got rid of them had saved him from anything worse, I should imagine."

"You're a wonderful lady, Daisy."

"Now don't you try to soft soap me Sir Leonard Morton Spears." She turned towards John, saying under her breath, "You never get offered a drink in this house, only soft words.

D'you know that?"'

At this Leonard laughed and put out his hand and rang the little bell on the side table, which brought Johnson into the room, and Leonard said to him,

"You know the tastes of our friends, don't you, Johnson?"' And the man, looking from one to the other, smiled, but stiffly, as he said, "Port for madam, and whisky, plain, for the doctor."

"And what about me, Johnson?"'

His man now shook his head as he said

"You may

Ire a choice, sir, of orange juice, apple juice or a

*'ckcurrant cordial."

j bar Yes. Yes, you neednt go through the again, I'll re the last one. It's got some colour about it, any-Sy, and one can use one's imagination."

iien the man had left he roo, John said to sy, Do you still ride?"'

*Cfti yes. Yes. I've got a beautiful mare. She's

JB-ED Fanny, for short. She's nine."

llWell," said John, "if she's Fanny for short, what

r real name?"'

Panackapan."

llWhat?"'

Tanackapan, Fanny,

Pan...ack...a...pan."

llohn was laughing again. hat's a very odd name I give a horse."

"Yes, Yes, but the day I bought her there were a ynber of women among the dealers, and one, look bar IS-GO at mine as she was led round the ring, said, "Oh, Ilat's a Fanny Fanackapan."

I'd never heard the exession before and I've never heard it since, so I

Jght her. She was a yearling, and oh, have we enid ourselves. She can take a farm gate like a ballet cer." tefore the drinks were brought in Daisy looked at

Jard. His eyes were half-closed and, getting to her she said, "You know what I'm going to do? I'm g to throw off that port in one gulp and get myout of this. I've just realised I've left her standing iat cold wind. Why don't you have your barns pBade like any other sensible man, with fours sides on Stem and a door, not just a roof?"'

Leonard opened his eyes and smiled at her, saying,

"Give Fanny my apologies. I'll still the wind for her the next time she comes."

Johnson came into the room with the drinks and as she had intimated Daisy threw the drink off in a gulp; went to the chair-bed, bent over Leonard and said, "Smell my breath; it will do you good." Then, her voice dropping, she added, Be a good fellow."

His voice was a mere whisper now as he said, 'Come again soon Daisy. Please!"

"I will. I will. Good night, and all the gods be with you." She straightened up now, turned to John and said briefly, "Good night, doctor."

"Good night Daisy. It's been a pleasure."

She made no reply to this but went out of the room, followed by Johnson. And John, about to sit down again, was stayed by Leonard saying, "Bring a chair up near me," and he pointed to the side of the chairbed. And when John had done this, Leonard said, "A remarkable woman."

"Yes, indeed, a very remarkable woman. And one who can laugh at herself."

Every word she said was true, but she didn't go into other details that are more surprising still. She's been through the mill, oh yes; and ground down finely, I can tell you. And she's been a very good friend to us."

'allyes; yes, I should imagine so."

"But now, after all that, how am I going to say what I want to say? It will sound so mundane, but I must say it. And there's not a lot of time left, now is there?"'

John made no reply for a moment, and then he said quietly, "It's up to you. The will is a mighty machine:

knows you have an incentive strong enough to % it it'll work for you."

Sonard's head was turned away and his voice was as he said "What d'you think has been working ft weeks past? I have to call on the incentive time I look at her because of what will asjdtly happen to her when the me comes. Of one g I am sure; our socalled friends will all gradufind their way back here. The thread that ran igh Daisy's husband runs through them all. Daisy jrbe the only one besides yourself whom she'll j6 as a real friend. And it is about this I want to VR-OSIE now has a husband and a mother-in-law, a business in which she's very interested, and she I i woman. But Helen...

well, Helen is a man's

i wm"

i bar hn looked somewhat startled, for his eyes had

,eaned and his mouth was slightly agape, which ght a smile from Leonard as he said "What ,es you look so surprised? Surely you know there e"...Women who need men's company and men who 'iji women's company, more than they do that of Hr own sex.

Not that they need men, plural, the man ular I would say. Oh, dear me, I'm putting it very Brically and badly. And so what I want to say I better say straight out. Will you continue to be atandiend? She'Us be a widow, and as you are not her ior, your visits might cause a little talk. But would risk that and continue to be her friend, if nothing X

Oh! Oh! comhe screwed up his eyes now and up his hand- 'Don't protest, don't protest. I w something and you know something: if I hadn't ae on the scene when I did, then I would never e got her.

Had you two met earlier, that would 58 Catherine Cookson "backslash have been that Oh, I knew that. Please!

Please! John, don't look so embarrassed.

I've known it all along. She kept talking about you after your meeting on that hil; and then you avoided our wedding. After that she never again mentioned your name. And then there came the time when she grew to love me. Oh yes, she grew to love me, so very much. Never as much as I loved her, but she loved me, and from the mo ment she loved me she began to talk about you again, although in an off-hand way. But when you married Beatrice, that was tha She just couldn't believe it and you went out of her life completely, and I was very, very happy. But life plays strange tricks with one.

Anyway, this is something rather difficult that I'm asking you to do, because you're still married to Beatrice and so any visits to her sister would not go unnoticed and there would be talk I'm asking this of you for very sefish reasons: there is a man I know who will, as soon as I'm out of the way, make a beeline for her. Not that, under normal circumstances, she would think about it in any way, but loneliness is a very strange thing.

I've experienced it, so I know what I'm talking about. Perhaps you too have waited for the gold and it has passed you by, so you have taken te dross by way of comfort. I've learned that out cannot blame people for what they do shortly after a bereavement. Now, I know Helen is not of a weak nature and so could be easily influenced, but I want her to have the right compay. If you had still been living with Beatrice, I would not have put this o you. Do you consider it strange that I should be asking this of you?"' John paused a moment before he said, 'allyes, in a