o open the wound and expose it to the air:
and, seeing Miss Arnold preparing to apply a bread-and-water poultice,
which she had made, fell into such a passion of rage and jealousy that
she forgot herself so far as to snatch it from Lettice's hand, vowing,
if any body was to be allowed to meddle with _her_ arm, she would never
touch it again so long as she lived.

Mrs. Melwyn turned pale, and began in her softest way,

"Now, really, Randall. Don't be angry, Randall--do listen, Randall. The
bandage was too tight; I assure you, it was. We should not have thought
of touching it else."

"What the devil, Randall, are you about to do now?" cried the general,
as she took possession of the arm, in no gentle fashion.

"Bind it up again, to be sure, and keep that air out of it."

"But you hurt me confoundedly. Ah! it's more than I can bear. Don't
touch it--it's as if it were on fire!"

"But it must be bound up, I say," going on without the least regard to
the torture she was evidently putting him to.

But Lettice interfered.

"Indeed, Mrs. Randall," she said, "I do not think that you seem to be
aware of the state of inflammation that the arm is in. I assure you, you
had better apply the bread-and-water poultice, and send for Mr. Lysons."

"You assure _me_. Much you know about the matter, I should fancy."

"I think I know this much. Dear Mrs. Melwyn! Dear general! It is more
serious than you think. Pray, let me write for Mr. Lysons!"

"I do believe she's right, Randall, for the infernal torture you put me
to is more than I can bear. Ach! Let it go, will you? Undo it! Undo it!"

But Mrs. Randall, unrelentingly, bound on.

"Have done, I say! Undo it! Will nobody undo it? Lettice Arnold, for
Heaven's sake!" His face was bathed with the sweat of agony.

Randall persisted; Mrs. Melwyn stood pale, helpless, and aghast; but
Lettice hastened forward, scissors in hand, cut the bandage, and
liberated the tortured arm in a minute.

Mrs. Randall was in an awful rage. She forgot herself entirely; she had
often forgotten herself before; but there was something in this, being
done in the presence of a third person, of one so right-minded and
spirited as Lettice, which made both the general and his wife view it in
a new light. A sort of vail seemed to fall from before their eyes; and
for the first time, they both seemed--and simultaneously--aware of the
impropriety and the degradation of submitting to it.

"Randall! Randall!" rem