dear John, you look so much better!
Where have you been?'

'At Rickworth. I went to give Lady Elizabeth an account of Violet. She
is much better.'

'And you have been after sunset in that river fog! My dear John!'

'There was no fog; and it was a most pleasant drive. I had no idea
Rickworth was so pretty. Violet desired me to thank you for your kind
messages. You should see her to-day, mother; she would be quite a study
for you; she looks so pretty on her pillows, poor thing! and Arthur is
come out quite a new character--as an excellent nurse.'

'Poor thing! I am glad she is recovering,' said Lady Martindale. 'It
was very kind in you to stay with Arthur. I only hope you have not been
hurting yourself.'

'No, thank you; I came away in time, I believe: but I should have been
glad to have stayed on, unless I made room for some one of more use to
Violet.'

'I wish you had come home sooner. We have had such a pleasant
dinner-party. You would have liked to meet the professor.'

It was not the first time John had been sensible that that drawing-room
was no place for sympathy; and he felt it the more now, because he had
been living in such entire participation of his brother's hopes and
fears, that he could hardly suppose any one could be less interested in
the mother and child in Cadogan-place. He came home, wishing Theodora
would go and relieve Arthur of some of the care Violet needed in
her convalescence; and he was much disappointed by her apparent
indifference--in reality, a severe fit of perverse jealousy.

All dinner-time she endured a conversation on the subjects for which she
least cared; nay, she talked ardently about the past dinner-party, for
the very purpose of preventing John from suspecting that her anxiety had
prevented her from enjoying it. And when she left the dining-room,
she felt furious at knowing that now her father would have all the
particulars to himself, so that none would transpire to her.

She longed so much to hear of Arthur and his child, that when John came
into the drawing-room she could have asked! But he went to greet his
aunt, who received him thus:

'Well, I am glad to see you at last. You ought to have good reasons for
coming to England for the May east winds, and then exposing yourself to
them in London!'

'I hope I did not expose myself: I only went out three or four times.'

'I know you are always rejoiced to be as little at home as possible.'

'I could not be spared soon