"Thank you, Miss Delane, miss," said the Mayor. "Mrs. Hedger is doin' nicely. She had a bit of feverishness about her, but Dr. Spink's treated her wonderful."
"Dr. Spink? I thought you went to Dr. Roberts?"
"I did, miss, but—— Well, things come round to me, miss, being a center like."
"What things?"
"Well, you may not have heard, miss, of the things that—— Good-mornin', Mr. Bannister, sir, good-mornin'. A fine day. Anything in our line, sir?"
"Good-morning, Mr. Mayor," said Dale. "Ah, Miss Delane, how do you do?"
His coming interrupted Janet's investigations into the affairs of the Doctor, and she took her leave of the Mayor, Dale assuming permission to walk with her. He ought to have asked, no doubt, thought Janet, but it would be making too much of it to tell him so.
They had hardly started when he turned to her:
"Why did you send back my verses?"