“By the by,” said Mr. Horner, “I have just remembered to tell you that provoking fellow, Falck, never turned up to-day. He never even had the grace to send word that he wasn’t coming.”
“Of course he must be ill,” said Roy, looking disturbed. “He is the last fellow to stay away if he could possibly keep up. We all thought him looking ill before he left.”
“I don’t know about illness,” said James Horner, putting on his hat; “but he certainly has the worst temper I’ve ever come across. It was extremely awkward without him to-day, for already we are short of hands.”
“There can hardly be much doing,” said Roy. “London looks like a desert. However, of course I’ll look up Falck. I dare say he’ll be all right again by to-morrow.”
But he had scarcely settled himself down comfortably to his work after James Horner’s welcome departure when the thought of Frithiof came to trouble him. After all, was it likely that a mere trifle would hinder a man of the Norwegian’s nature from going to business? Was it not much more probable that he was too ill even to write an excuse? And if so, how helpless and desolate he would be!
Like most people, Roy was selfish. Had he lived alone he would have become more selfish every day; but it was impossible to live in the atmosphere of Rowan Tree House without, at any rate, trying to consider other people. With an effort he tore himself away from his beloved specimens, and set off briskly for Vauxhall, where, after some difficulty, he found the little side street in which, among dozens of others precisely like it, was the house of the three Miss Turnours.
A little withered-up lady opened the door to him, and replied nervously to his question.
“Mr. Falck is ill,” she said. “He seems very feverish; but he was like it once before, when he first came to England, and it passed off in a day or two.”
“Can I see him?” said Roy.
“Well, he doesn’t like being disturbed at all,” said Miss Charlotte. “He’ll hardly let me inside the room. But if you would just see him, I should really be glad. You will judge better if he should see the doctor or not.”