"But I say, now—look here! What do you expect me to do? Why don't you speak to Mrs. Browning?"
"Because, if she could not persuade him, I should have alarmed her to no purpose. You have influence with them."
"Perhaps—yes."
"Your opinion will not frighten her as mine would—even while they may act upon it."
"I told Browning last week that he seemed in splendid condition. Am I to eat my own words so soon?"—ruefully.
"What did he say?"
"Oh, sighed, and declared he 'suffered' a good deal, couldn't sleep, and so forth! All a case of masculine nerves, I thought. What! Going already?"
"I must! I'll leave the matter with you."
"But I say—stop!—what about this notion of going abroad? I believe the girls don't know it yet. Browning broached it to me. Why, he has always hated travelling."
"He should consult a physician before deciding."