"Miss Brabourne? Oh, in bed."
"In bed? Is she ill? You should have told me."
"Oh, dear no, she is not ill. These are merely fashionable habits. Percivale thought, like you, that she must be ill; I had great difficulty in restraining him from rushing up to obtain the latest bulletin."
"But—your sister—the butler said she was out!"
"Oh, my sister is an early riser. She always breakfasts at eight."
"So used Elsa—she was the soul of punctuality."
"A compulsory punctuality, perhaps?"
"Well—I suppose so; but why—what on earth can induce her to stay in bed till this hour?"
"I am sure I don't know. Perhaps it is to take care of her complexion."
"Take care of her complexion!... The child must have altered strangely——"