"Now, Madeleine, dear." Sally put her arm round the tall form which was as rigid as steel in her embrace. But she was a valiant little person and strong with health and much life in the open. "You are going to stay with me until—until—you are better."
"I'll not. I must get back. At once! You don't understand—"
"Yes, I do. And I've something for you." She took a flask from the capacious pocket of her black silk apron and poured brandy into a glass.
Madeleine drank it, then sank heavily into a chair.
"That is more than he has been giving me," she said suspiciously. "How often did he tell you to give me that?"
"Four times a day."
"He's found out! He's found out!"
"That chambermaid blabbed, and of course he heard it. I—I—saw him just after. He felt so terribly, Madeleine dear! Your heart would have ached for him. And when I asked him to let you come over here he seemed to brighten up, and said it was the best thing to do."
Madeleine burst into tears, the first she had shed in many months.
"Poor Howard! Poor Howard! But it will do no good."
"Oh, yes, it will. Now, let me help you dress. Or would you rather stay in bed today?"