“I’ve been abroad and worked myself into a good position, and now I want my sister to leave service. And I don’t want the other servants to know I’m her brother. It may be pride; but perhaps you’ll excuse it, miss. Would you mind sending for her without saying it’s her brother wants her?”
How could I break the fact of her illness to the poor man?
“Oh, please be prepared for bad news! I’m so sorry!” said I gently. “She is ill—very ill.”
To my surprise, he looked more incredulous than unhappy. He said very suddenly—
“She was quite well last Friday afternoon.”
“Yes—an accident happened to her on Friday night. She fell down a flight of stairs and injured herself severely. If you will only wait until Mr. Rayner comes, he will speak to you. Sarah is a very old servant in this family, and much respected, and she has every possible care, I assure you.”
But he still seemed more curious than anxious about her, I thought.
“She has been in the family a long time then? Excuse me, miss, but I’ve been away so long that she is almost like a stranger to me, and I had great difficulty in finding her out. But I’m very glad to hear she is thought so well of.”
“Oh, yes! Mr. Rayner has the greatest confidence in her.”
I did not want to say anything disagreeable about the woman now that she was ill, especially to her brother, whose affection did not seem very warm as it was.