"No. It's a funny thing," said Mabel. "We supposed it was because of Elma's illness, you know. Miss Grace would be in such a state. Shall we go now?"
They got out and arranged to walk through St. James' Park together.
"I had a message," said Mrs. Clutterbuck quietly, "about Miss Grace. I am to have another when I get back just now. Will you come with me? It's about Miss Annie. She has been very ill."
It was impossible for her to tell them that the same illness as Elma's had done its work there. They seemed to have no suspicion of that.
"Oh, poor Miss Annie!" said Mabel. "If I had only known!"
"That was just it; they couldn't tell you that too with all you had to hear about Elma. Elma is very well now, you understand, but Miss Annie--well, Miss Annie is not expected to live over to-night."
The news came to them in an unreal way. It was the break-up of their childhood. That Miss Annie should not always be there, the charming beautiful invalid, seemed impossible.
"Oh, but," said Mabel, "she has been so ill before, won't she get better?"
"She was never ill like this before," said Mrs. Clutterbuck. "We will see what the message says."
They found a wire at home. At the end of a sparkling day, it came to that. While they had listened to these golden voices, Miss Annie had----