VI
She rang the front door-bell again, but this time the doctor didn’t let her in. He looked at her through the screen door and shook his head.
"No!" he said softly. "Better go away. Don’t make any disturbance, for your own sake."
"I only want to speak to Vincent," she said, plaintively.
"Better not. Go away now. Nobody’s seen you. Vincent and I are alone in the house. I’ll never mention it. I’m your friend, you know; and you must be my friend if I need one, won’t you?"
He had heard rumours, which he didn’t quite believe, that Eddie was to marry this remarkable young woman. He knew that Eddie was capable of extraordinarily quixotic deeds, and he thought it just as well to have a friend at court, in case—— Moreover, he liked Angelica, and was well disposed toward her. The rebuffs he had received, rude as they had been, hadn’t either hurt or discouraged him. The Lord who had made him so vulnerable to the charms of the fair sex had likewise provided him with a sort of protective armour.
"Of course I’ll be your friend," said Angelica; "but I just must speak to Vincent."
"I thought you had seen him," said the doctor. "You went up-stairs."
"I forgot to tell him something very important. If you don’t want me to come, just make him come down here—please!"
She knew how to be meek enough to serve her ends.