Rhoda choked down a sob, and crossed the room quickly to Lady Sarah.
“I’m going away,” she said quickly; and without thinking it necessary to give any explanation to a lady who, she was sure, must understand her decision without it, she added: “I’m going upstairs to say good-bye to little Caryl.”
With Lady Sarah’s perfunctory regrets ringing in her ears, mingled with the polite expressions of surprise from Jack Rotherfield, she went out of the room.
She crept up the stairs with her heart beating very fast. If it was hard to leave Sir Robert, what would the parting with poor little Caryl be?
He was lying by the window of his sitting-room, which had once been the nursery, and he clapped his hands as she came in.
“Oh, Rhoda, Rhoda, what a long time you’ve been! I’d thought you had forgotten me!” he cried, as soon as he caught sight of her.
And as she looked at his thin face, and saw the flush of pleasure in his cheeks and the brightness which came into his eyes, as the nurse got up, and, smiling, gave her chair to the new-comer, Rhoda felt as if her heart would burst.
“My dear Caryl,” she said as she bent to kiss him, “I’m afraid you won’t like to hear something I’ve got to tell you.”
A look of vivid intelligence appeared on his face, and he glanced anxiously towards the nurse.
“Oh, is it what she says?” he asked tremulously. “Are you going away?”