lied the woman in the most
uncompromising way. "Mr Bracy can't lift his arms yet, and I have to
give him his meals, and it troubles him for any one to see him fed."

"Yes, yes, of course. I ought to have known, Mrs Gee. Where is the
lunch?"

"Being kept hot for him, sir."

"Go and fetch it, then, and I'll be off the moment you come."

Mrs Gee said nothing, but turned silently and disappeared, while
Roberts rose and leaned over the bed.

"The tyrant of the sickroom, old boy. Never mind; she's a capital
nurse, and sympathetic under her hard shell. But I say, old fellow, can
you imagine it to be possible that Gee fell in love with that female
dragon?"

"No," said Bracy, smiling. "It seems impossible. One can't understand
these things. I don't mind her so much now, but I do wish she wouldn't
be quite so hard on poor Gedge."

"Poor lad; no. What's that, though?--the click of crockery. Only fancy
the willow-pattern plate out here in the hills!"

"Not so far out of place," said Bracy, smiling. "Chinese pattern, and
we are very near to China."

"Good-bye, old man," said Roberts hastily. "Here she comes. Never mind
about shaking hands yet. Do it in a look. Good-bye. See you
to-morrow--if I don't get knocked over first," he added to himself; and,
bonding low, as there was a short, hard cough outside, evidently meant
for a signal to him to depart, he laid one hand upon Bracy's shoulder,
the other on his brow, and gave him a very brotherly look and smile.

"You'll be all right soon, my helpless old cockalorum," he cried
cheerily. "There, pitch into your corn well, and grow strong. Ta, ta!"

He turned quickly to cross the room, and then made a bound a yard away
in his astonishment, for he received a tremendous blow across the loins,
which made him turn sharply to gaze in wonder at his helpless friend,
who was looking at him wildly.

"What the dickens did you do that for?" he asked.

"I beg pardon, sir. I thought you said--"

"Yes, yes, all right, Mrs Gee, I'm off," he cried; and he hurried away
and out into the great court, where he passed one hand behind him to
begin softly rubbing his spine.

"Is the poor fellow off his head?" he muttered in his wonderment and
confusion. "Helpless and weak? Why, it was enough to break a fellow's
back. Has he got a club in the bed?"

Roberts stopped short, as if about, to turn back.

"Ought I to go and warn that woman of his antics? No; she could summon