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bar like He stepped back to allow her to pass him and as Jhe did so she turned her face fully towards him, and Sr heavily painted lips moved into a smile when s said, "Thank you."

The words were simple but he knew their intent wasn't. They had not been said in courtesy, but rather in mockery. He waited some time before following her into the street.

As he lifted the orse's reins from the iron post he was aware that she was standing watching him, that enigmatic smile on her face; and as he mounted the trap her voice taunted hi, as she called,

"Happy days Doctor!"

en weeks had passed and he'd had three letters Helen, one from Paris and two from Italy; but is a fortnight since the last letter had arrived. ever, during these weeks he hadn't been entirely mt company, for Daisy had invited him to her s, and they had come to know each other very

At this moment, he was sitting in her consery and she was answering a question he had i although not truthfully:

"Oh, perhaps once a ," she was saying; she could not say to him "I wo letters from her regularly every week" for d just said it was two weeks since he had last I from her.

put out a hand now and stroked the broad leaf lant as he said, "Do you think her travelling is ag her?"' o, I don't."

turned sharply towards her: 'allyou don't?"' , not at all. She can't ease her pain or erase ielings by jumping from one train to another, beountry to another, one hotel to another. The only way she will ease herself is to find a purpose, a purpose for living. An equivalent of my leper colony." She grinned at him now. 'But as I see it, she is not going to experience a carbolic bath from which she will emerge at a jump." The grin had now spread into laughter in which he joined; and then she added, "But I'm not worrying about her: something will show her the way she has to go. It always does if we wait long enough. Some have to wait longer than others. Like you, John, for instance."

His head went slightly to the side as if in enquiry, but he did not ask her what she meant, for he was slightly startled by her next question: "How long have you been in love with her?"'

Strangely, her directness did not disturb him as it might have done had it come from someone else.

Daisy was a very perceptive woman, for behind all that jollity there was a sage. But, nevertheless, the question had caught him off his guard and he found that he couldn't look into that rugged face and those knowing eyes. So he turned his head away from her and gazed up the length of the beautiful conservatory, only turning to her again when she said, "YOU needn't worry, it isn't that evident, except that Leonard knew."

The legs of the basket chair scraped on the mosaic tiled floor as he twisted around sharply. She was holding up her hand now, saying,

"It's all righ Don't get on your hind legs. He never voiced it. But I knew from the way he talked of you, and with affection, let me tell you, yes, with affection, that ie was aware of your feelings, and apparently had ben

,ong time. Even, I think, before he settled here. w you can answer my question: When was it

"ell in love with her?"'

Ie drew in a long breath before looking down at

"feet and saying, 'The very first time I saw her at irice's twenty-first birthday party. We spoke for a few minutes because Leonard had just arrived. bar not, one afternoon we met on the top of Craig's i had fallen asleep in the sun, and when I woke j bar faere she was. She had been sitting watching me. we had a kind of picnic together." He paused,

Jhis fingers through his hair, before he said, from that day onwards I became sick at heart, have to face facts once she was married. And married her sister, I thought I had got Helen ny system." He now turned and nodded emj bar tically at Daisy, saying, That was the biggest stake of my life. But we won't go into that."

pilence fell between them and lasted for some secds before he asked quietly, "How long do you reJly think she'll stay away?"'

jhI don't know, John. If she doesn't meet up with bar bar carbolic bath, she could decide to come home to; 12ar MTOW."

bar bar bar He did not say, 'Really?"' but waited for her to go g and she nodded at him, saying,

"There's an unitStill in her letters, well, the ones she sends to me. I Jpon't think her travelling, so far, has eased her feeligs very much. You know, she never cried when Iteonard went, and there was no sign of tears during e days following. It's a bad sign when people can't Hry; their feelings become like a canker, eating into

them. And I shouldn't think that she's given way *

any strange bedroom on her jouey ifs going to b a long time, John, before she really returns to life You know, the feeling she had for Leonard was ver deep. I don't know what it was like when she first met him. Im sure she really knew nothing about love then; at least, not the kind of love he had to give. But she soon learned."

She now leaned her head back against the padded cushion of the wicker chair and stared up at the glass-domed roof as she said, "I used to envy people like Helen who would create such love as she does but I envy them no longer and haven't done for many a year, because such love as you have for her, John is, you must admit, mostly pain. As for me, I'didn't catch leprosy, but I did catch a form of love, in my case made up of mixed ingredients. I have substitutes now, such as the feeling one gets from both receiving and giving kindnesses, as well as a feeling of deep affection for a few people. But I must admit, it could have slipped into love where Leonard was concerned. Anyway, will you stay to dinner?"'

He had risen sharply to his feet and was looking down on her as he said bluntly, "o! I won't because I know what that means, I'd be stuck for the night, and there would be Mrs Atkinson standing with her hat and coat on waiting for my return. And so, good-night, Mrs Daisy, until we meet again, which in all likelihood could be tomorrow, or the next day," to which she answered simplyea"'Goodnight, John, and thanks."

as a week later. He had just examined a woman ler late fifties and had made up a bottle of medi for her.

fow looking at her across his desk, he said, u're a stupid woman, Emily Green.

Now you go ae and get yourself straight to bed, and I'll be ig there in the morning to see you. Now I'm tellyou," comhe wagged a finger at her- 'forget about

: man of yours. He's not half as bad as you are." Oh! Doctor, don't say that."

I'm saying it. He has a little silicosis, and most i in the mines have to put up with that. But I'm ag to talk to you plainly. You have bronchitis all t but it could become something else much more ous if you don't do what I say. Now you stay in his

But who's going to look...?"' I hey can look after themselves. Your man still is hands and feet, and he can walk down to the bar i can't he?"' * n Oh Doctor! What life has he? I mean..."

I 6

"Never mind, what life has he? What life have you had? Where are your daughters? Can't one of them come along and see to the cooking?"'

"They both have families to see to Doctor. And they do; they are good girls; they do pop in."

"Yes. Yes, they pop in so their mother can make them tea and bake their bread for them. Oh, I know what goes on in your house: I've been visiting it long enough."

He now rose to his feet and more quietly he said, "I'm serious, Emily. Get yourself to bed and stay there. If you don't you're going to end up in hospital, and you could be there for some time. D'you get my meaning?"'

Her head drooped as she muttered, "Yes, Doctor."

Yes, he knew she had got his meaning: she had lost a son of twenty-six with tuberculosis and, recently, her youngest, a nine-year-old girl.

She pulled herself to her feet and, smiling wearily at him, said, "I'll do what you say Doctor, and let them get on with it. To tell you the truth, I've been saying just that over the past few months, that one of these days I'll let them get on with it."

"Good, Emily. Now it's only a touch and it could be put right. I'll have a talk with your husband when I call in tomorrow. And don't worry about him.

It's amazing what men can do when they have to. And you know what they say, a hungry belly trains a cook."

Her smile widened, and then she said, "Thank you, Doctor. Thank you. You are a very good man."

After she had left he sat down again and shook

yhead. Women and their men. Her man wasn't f as bad as she already was. He coughed and le a great play of spitting. There were many Jvith the same disease. He sighed, then pressed o his hand. But when he heard a commotion the door, he rose to his feet again and was when the door was thrust open to see Daisy there. I won't be a moment, I promise

she was to a waiting patient. "I've just Ba message for the doctor."

JIW-HAT on earth's the matter?"' he demanded of her. j bar She's back!"

was silent for a moment, then said, "Helen?"'

We, who else would come back? Has anybody been away? Helen? Yes, of course, Helen."

When?"'

jJjast night. She came around to me at about eight bar 3ock in the evening. I couldn't believe it. Walked

J com"ist like that." She stepped back from him, saying

y, I thought you would like to know."

Daisy." His hand went out and he caught her saying, "Something's brought her back."

es, of course somethig has. But whatever it is, hasn't told me. Perhaps she'll tell you.

You'll be

left-brace ing her up, I assume?"' and she grinned at him. *I'll call immediately after my rounds." "Good! But now I must go: that fellow outside will be. me if I stay a minute longer.

He snorted so much Itearly suggested he should have a ring through his

llShe pulled open the door and smiled at the man o was much shorter than herself, and in a sweet voice said, hank you very much. It was very land of you.

I" greatly obliged."

In answer, the man said in a conciliatory tone, hat's all right," then watched the odd-looking woan almost skipping along the corridor, before he entered the surgery. And there, he made a statement that John found impossible to answer: Queerlooking card, that."

He had so many urgent calls upon his tune during the morning that he did not get to Col Mount until aroud three o'clock in the afternoon.

Johnson opened the door to him and, after a moment's pause, said, 'Oh! Good afternoon Doctor.

You... you wish to see Lady Spears?"'

The man's superior manner was too much for Joh at this moment, and so he said, "Well, Johnson, I didn't come this far to call on you. Tell me, where is Lady Spears?"'

The man drew himself up to his full height, and in an arrogant tone said, "Her ladyship is in her room."

hen will you kindly tell her she has a visitor?

I'll be in the drawing-room." And with this John walked across the hall and into the drawing-room He deliberately left the door open; and when he reached the fireplace he turned and looked back into the hall to see Johnson still standing where he had left him then flounce his shoulders as if in a huff, as he made his way towards te stairs.

John was annoyed by the man's manner as he had before; but at the same time he wondered why fai't laugh at him.

sently he heard Helen's footsteps on the stairs, ie entered the room and closed the door behind efore he walked towards her, his arms outied. She took his hands and smiled at him, sayHow good to see you, John." found himself speechless for a moment; then be could do was to repeat her words and say, it's good to see you, y dear." smiled widely at him, saying, 'Come and sit bar bar wn and start asking me questions." lShe sat on the couch and he sat on a chair near bar rather, and he said, "I'll have to get my econd wind;

IB rather knocked out by surprise. But, all right, I'll bar sgin. Where have you come from?"' tParis my starting point."

bar I thought you were to go to Rome, then on to bar Bstria?"'

I *I was in Rome and I went on

to Austria. Then I bar tumed to Paris." o stay with the dame?"'

?" 'Oh no! I had thought such characters existed only I novels. But she was painted and powdered every y, with two maids seeing to her constantly."

"How old is she?"'

"Oh, about eighty, andwitha razor-shap mind, rling her establishment. She wanted me to stay this her. No, not wanted, demanded that I stay with be she didn't like her secretary's voice; he poor E greater-than ul had to read to her for most of the day.

And tet's what she wanted me to take over, and when I

dared to laugh at her she flew into a tantrum.

Oh my!"

"You didn't stay on, then, at the house?"'

"Oh no! No, thank goodness. I went to a nearby hotel."

"Well, what did you do with yourself?"'

"Oh, I did the usual rounds, just like every tourist:

the Louvre, Versailles, the Tuilleries, and of course Notre Dame, and the markets. Oh yes, the markets."

"By yourself?"' There was a note of surprise in his voice, and she said, "Yes, sir, by myself, assisted by a very helpful cab driver, whom I hired from one day to the next during my stay, a fortnight. He would suggest what I should see the next day. He was a very nice, helpful man. He called himself my protector, for he couldn't understand me being alone."

"Did you need protection? Although that's a silly thing to ask, really."

"Yes, I did, in a way." She actually laughed now as she said, "There was one particular gentleman who became rather insistent until the day my pro tector, who was waiting for me after one of my educational visits, said to me, "We must hurry, madam, to the station, otherwise your husband will have arrived, and Monsieur is not famous for his patience." At least, that's how I roughly translated his suburban French. I say suburban: he was from what you would call the deep end of Paris. But there was nothing he didn't know about gentlemen... and, from his conversation, ladies of all types, I should imagine." Her smile faded as she now remarked, "You know, Leonard didn't wish me to go into black,

Jto have the house in mouing; but I think the easst might have helped on my joueys abroad. bar bar the way" comshe was smiling again- "I didn't ize until my protector and I parted that evening, H