Mr. Tamlyn coughed. Whether he would have gone on to impart his doubt of Lettice cannot be known. During the slight silence Lettice herself entered the room with her mistress’s medicine. A quick, dark-eyed young woman, in a light print gown.
The stir aroused Lady Jenkins. Madame St. Vincent measured out the physic, and was handing it to the patient, when Mr. Tamlyn seized the wine-glass.
“It’s all right,” he observed, after smelling and tasting, speaking apparently to himself: and Lady Jenkins took it.
“That is the young woman you must especially watch,” whispered Mr. Tamlyn, as Lettice retired with her waiter.
“What! Lettice?” exclaimed madame, opening her eyes.
“Yes; I should advise you to do so. She is the only one who is much about her mistress,” he added, as if he would account for the advice. “Watch her.”
Leaving madame at the window to digest the mandate and to get over her astonishment, he sat down by Lady Jenkins again, and began talking of this and that: the fineness of the weather, the gossip passing in the town.
“What do you take?” he asked abruptly.
“Take?” she repeated. “What is it that I take, Patty?” appealing to her companion.
“Nay, but I want you to tell me yourself,” hastily interposed the doctor. “Don’t trouble madame.”