The door at the end of the room opened, and a curious old figure, attired in a chintz gown of antique shape, with a huge bow of green ribbon on her muslin cap, appeared at it. Eve curtsied to her new mistress: the new mistress stared at the servant.
"You are welcome, ma'am. We are glad to see you. And, please, would you like the supper-tray brought in?"
"Is—is this Mr. Raynor's?" questioned Daisy, in tones that seemed to say she dreaded the answer.
"Sure enough it is, ma'am, for the present. He is here during the master's absence."
Daisy said no more. She only stood still in her grievous astonishment, striving to comprehend it all, and to hush her dismayed heart. The luggage was being brought in, and Eve went to help with it. Frank found his wife seated on the horsehair sofa, when he came in; and caught the blank look on her pale face.
"You are tired, Daisy. You would like to take your things off. Come upstairs, and I will show you your bedroom."
Lighting a candle, he led the way, Daisy following mechanically up the steep, confined staircase, to which she herself seemed to present a contrast, with her fashionable attire of costly black gauze, relieved by frillings of soft white net.
"The room's not very large, Daisy," he said, entering one on the first floor, the window looking out on some back leads. "There's a larger one in front on the upper landing, but I thought you would prefer this, and it is better furnished. It was Brown's room. He said I had better take to it, for if I went up higher I might not hear the night-bell.
"Yes," replied Daisy, faintly, undoing the strings of her bonnet. "Was it a—a shop we came through?"
"That was the surgery. It used to be a shop, and Brown never took the trouble to alter its arrangement."