It was not till two days later, however, that he was admitted to see the mother. She had turned the corner, they said, but she was terribly weak. Yet, as soon as she heard of the presence of her brother-in-law, she insisted upon seeing him.
Everard brought him in to her, but for the first time in her life she dismissed him when the introduction was effected.
"We shall get on better alone," she said, with a smile. "You come back—afterwards."
So Everard withdrew, and Bernard sat down by her side, his big hand holding hers.
"That is nice," she said, her pale face turned to him. "I have been wanting to know you ever since Everard first told me of you."
He bent with a little smile and kissed the slender fingers he held. "Then the desire has been mutual," he said.
"Thank you." Stella's eyes were fixed upon his face. "I was afraid," she said, with slight hesitation, "that you might think—when you saw Everard—that marriage hadn't altogether agreed with him."
Bernard's kindly blue eyes met hers with absolute directness. "No, I shouldn't have thought that," he said. "But I see a change in him of course. He is growing old much too fast. What is it? Overwork?"
"I don't know." She still spoke with hesitation. "I think it is a good deal—anxiety."
"Ah!" Bernard's hand closed very strongly upon hers. "He is not the only person that suffers from that complaint, I think."