"She's very ill," said the doctor.
"But she will not die, will she?"
"Of course, that's impossible to say. She's a strong woman, but she's had—well, you know what she's had to bear."
The judge nodded. "But will she get better?"
"I do not think she will die just yet."
"What do you mean by that?"
"I think it is possible her body may recover."
"But her mind?" said the judge, noting the significance of the doctor's words.
"Concerning her mind I can promise nothing," said the doctor. "The strain she has borne for so long has been enough to drive one of her sensitive nature mad."
The judge was silent for a few seconds, then he spoke in his old, almost authoritative tones.