"Thank you for saying that. But what I meant was that children are wanted to make the perfect home."
Mavis's face fell.
"You, with your rare nature, must want to have a child," he continued. "I don't know which must be worse: for a childless woman to long for a child or to have one and lose it."
Mavis grasped the arm of the chair for support.
"What's the matter?" he asked, alarmed.
"What you said. Don't, don't say I'm dissatisfied any more."
Thus Mavis and those nearest to her learned of the alteration in her fortunes.
Mavis was not long in discovering that the command of money provided her with a means of escape from the prepossessions afflicting her mind. The first thing she did was to summon the most renowned nerve specialists to Melkbridge, where they held a lengthy consultation in respect of Harold's physical condition. Mavis was anxious to know if anything could be done to strengthen the slender thread of his life; she was much distressed to learn that the specialists' united skill could do nothing to stay the pitiless course of his disease. This verdict provided a further sorrow for Mavis, which she had to keep resolutely to herself, inasmuch as she told Harold that the doctors had spoken most favourably of the chances of his obtaining considerable alleviation of his physical distresses.
"And then you regret my coming into all this money, when it can do so much for you," she said, with a fine assumption of cheerfulness.
To get some distraction from her many troubles, Mavis next set about seeking out all the people who had ever been kind to her in order that they should benefit from her good fortune.