"She knows us to-day," said Rachel, "and she is quite cheerful."
"Does the poor thing know her book is burned?"
"No. She was speaking this morning of its coming out in the spring."
The little doctor thrust out his underlip and changed the subject.
"I travelled from Pontesbury this morning," he said, "with that man who was nearly drowned at Beaumere in the summer. I doctored him at Wilderleigh. Tall, thin, rather a fine gentleman. I forget his name."
Dr. Brown aways spoke of men above himself in the social scale as "fine gentlemen."
"Mr. Redman," said Miss Keane, the Bishop's sister, a dignified person, who had been hampered throughout life by a predilection for the wrong name, and by making engagements in illegible handwriting by last year's almanacs.
"Was it Mr. Scarlett?" said Rachel, feeling Dick's lynx eye upon her. "I was at Wilderleigh when the accident happened."
"That's the man. He got out at Southminster, and asked me which was the best hotel. No, I won't have any more, thanks. I'll go up and see Miss Gresley at once."
Rachel followed the Bishop into the library. They generally waited there together till the doctor came down.