He sat down near Cicely, who said hastily:
“Why is there always sickness in Upworthy at midsummer?”
Some inflection in her young voice challenged attention. Goodrich blinked; Pawley thought to himself: “At last, the inevitable question——!” Temptation assailed him to evade it. And such evasion might be justified by his sense of loyalty and gratitude to Lady Selina. Nevertheless some truth-compelling quality in her glance made him answer simply:
“Our people aren’t too healthy, my dear.”
“Why—why?”
“Partly a matter of drainage; wages are low. That means insufficient nutrition, eh, Goodrich?”
“Quite so; quite so.”
Cicely turned to Brian, who was again at the window, watching the arriving villagers.
“Brian, do you hear? Dr. Pawley says the village drains are wrong.”
Brian laughed carelessly.