"Never mind, I want to talk to you." Seriously, he went on: "Mrs. Jeffries, your husband needs a change of scene. He's worrying. That fainting spell the other day was only a symptom. I'm afraid he'll break down unless——"
"Unless what?" she demanded anxiously.
He hesitated for a moment, as if unwilling to give utterance to words he knew must inflict pain. Then quickly he continued:
"Your husband is under a great mental strain. His inability to support you, his banishment from his proper sphere in the social world is mental torture to him. He feels his position keenly. There is nothing else to occupy his mind but thoughts of his utter and complete failure in life. I was talking to his father last night, and——"
"And what?" she demanded, drawing herself up. She suspected what was coming, and nerved herself to meet it.
"Now, don't regard me as an enemy," said the doctor in a conciliatory tone. "Mr. Jeffries inquired after his son. Believe me, he's very anxious. He knows he did the boy a great injustice, and he wants to make up for it."
"Oh, he does?" she exclaimed sarcastically.
Dr. Bernstein hesitated for a moment before replying. Then he said lightly:
"Suppose Howard goes abroad for a few months with his father and mother?"
"Is that the proposition?" she demanded.