"I wish you would not feel my pulse, doctor," said Aveline, using a term she often playfully applied to Mr. Lindsay. "It always makes me faint."
"There then," said he removing his fingers, "you have not left any of your fancies behind you. I wish you had, or your cough!"
"You despise foreigners almost as much as Mrs. Grant," said Aveline laughing; "but you cannot deny that I have gained a great deal by my absence."
"Gained. Yes; an inch or more. Were you not tall enough before you went?" said Mr. Lindsay, surveying her from head to foot.
"You are as tiresome as ever," said Aveline. "I have gained strength, spirits, and appetite!"
"What did you eat for breakfast?" asked Mr. Lindsay suddenly.
"Oh! breakfast. That is never a good meal with me. I could eat half a chicken for dinner," said Aveline, still laughing.
"Well, I suppose you want me to send you some medicine," said Mr. Lindsay, taking up his hat; "people are never contented without it, whether they need it or not."
"But do I not need it?" asked Aveline.
"No."