Mrs. Carlyon arrived in due course. It had previously been arranged that, if she did go abroad, she should come to them for a short visit first. It seemed to her that she saw a great change for the worse in Mr. Denison; but she was discreet enough to keep her thoughts on the matter to herself, and chose rather to congratulate him on looking so well.
"Ay," said he, complacently, "the new doctor understands me."
"And don't you think Dr. Spreckley did?" asked Mrs. Carlyon.
"Not of late. Spreckley could not do for me what this man will do."
On the second day of her visit, when they were alone, the Squire questioned Mrs. Carlyon about her plans for the winter.
"Have you decided on them, Gertrude?" he asked.
"Not quite," she said. "I suppose, though, I shall go abroad, probably to the South of France. This climate tried my chest severely last winter."
"Ay, I remember. Best for you to go out of it for the next few months."
"An old friend of mine, Mrs. Ord, had decided to accompany me, and now circumstances have intervened to prevent it. That is why I hesitate. I don't care to go so far without a companion."
"You shall take Ella. Come now."