Then, as they finished their soup, Mrs. Tate gave an account of her call of the afternoon, ending with a graphic repetition of the talk with Blanche about the pains in her back.
"I shall certainly tell Dr. Broughton about it," she cried. "That poor child—she really is nothing but a child—she's just killing herself by inches, and her husband is worse than a brute to let the thing go on."
"So you want to stop it and take away their only means of support."
"It isn't their only means of support. It seems the husband has money. That makes it all the worse."
"Now, let me say right here, my dear, I wash my hands of this affair. If you want to rush in and upset those people's lives, go ahead, but I'll have nothing to do with it."
"I wish you wouldn't scold me so, Percy. It seems to me I usually bear the consequences of what I do. And I don't see what harm there can be in consulting Dr. Broughton. You're always cracking him up yourself."
Tate burst into a loud laugh. "If that isn't just like a woman! Turning it onto poor old Broughton."
"Oh, sometimes you're so aggravating, Percy!"
Two days later, in spite of her husband's opposition, Mrs. Tate consulted Dr. Broughton, and he promised, as soon as he could, to call some morning at the little hotel in Albemarle Street. Before he appeared there Mrs. Tate ingratiated herself into the affections of the family. As Blanche grew more familiar with her, she confided to her many details of her life, and Mrs. Tate speedily possessed the chief facts in connection with it. These facts did not increase her esteem for Jules, whose days, in spite of his duties as his wife's manager, were spent in what she regarded as wholly unpardonable idleness. She also suspected that Jules disliked her; it must have been he who sent word that they would be unable to accept her invitation for dinner on Sunday evening. This, however, did not prevent their being invited for the following Sunday. Mrs. Tate was determined to secure her husband's opinion of her new protégés.
Before Sunday came Dr. Broughton unexpectedly made his appearance in the Tates' drawing-room one evening.