She was not asked for references, for her name was well known in these regions. The people who let her the rooms thought that Philip had need of a studio there for some special work, and that his wife had been sent to choose a suitable one for him.
"When do you wish to take possession, madam?" asked the agent, who had accompanied her.
"At once," replied Dora, "that is, to-morrow or the next day."
And the whole matter was arranged then and there.
When Dora got into her cab again, she began to talk almost gaily. She looked happy once more. It was a glimpse of the old Dora that Gabrielle had known all her life, but missed for a while, and now rejoiced to see again.
At the end of a couple of hours they were at home again. Poor Hobbs had been a prey to terrible fears, all the while conjuring up in her mind visions of her beloved mistress being brought back on a litter in a dying condition. She had spent the time watching at the window in mortal anxiety.
Dora stepped briskly out of the cab, paid the driver, and threw her arms round the poor woman, who looked more dead than alive.
"Ah, at last," gasped Hobbs. "Oh, ma'am how could you! how could you!"
So saying, she burst into tears, and then began to smile again on seeing Dora standing so alert and on the point of making fun of her.
"But what do you mean, my dear Hobbs?" said Dora. "I feel quite recovered. The fresh air has done me a lot of good and has given me a ferocious appetite."