"But in her present condition," continued Campbell, "I don't see how she could remain there alone."
"Certainly not. She must have some woman with her."
"Exactly. But what trustworthy woman could you get to undertake such a task? Perhaps one of the nurses——"
"No," Cyril hastily interrupted him. "When she leaves the nursing home, all trace of her must be lost. At any moment the police may discover that a woman whom I have represented to be my wife has been a patient there. That will naturally arouse their suspicions and they will do their utmost to discover who it is that I am protecting with my name. No, a nurse would never do. For one thing, she would feel called upon to report to the doctor."
"You might bribe her not to do so," suggested Guy.
"I shouldn't dare to trust to an absolutely unknown quantity. Oh, if I only knew a respectable woman on whom I could rely! I would pay her a small fortune for her services."
"I know somebody who might do," said Campbell. "Her name is Miss Trevor and she used to be my sister's governess. She is too old to teach now and I fancy has a hard time to make both ends meet. The only trouble is that she is so conscientious that she would rather starve than be mixed up in anything she did not consider perfectly honourable and above board. If I told her that she was to chaperon a young lady whom the police were looking for, she would be so indignant that I doubt if she would ever speak to me again."
"Why tell her?" insinuated Cyril.
"It doesn't seem decent to inveigle her by false representations into taking a position which she would never dream of accepting if she knew the truth."
"I will pay her £200 a year as long as she lives, if she will look after Miss Prentice till this trouble is over. Even if the worst happens and the girl is discovered, she can truthfully plead ignorance of the latter's identity," urged Cyril.