of coming down like that!' cried her parent
indignantly. 'How did you know Mr. Mumford wasn't here? For shame!
Go up again this moment.'

'I don't see any harm if Mr. Mumford had been here,' replied the
girl calmly.

'I'm sure it's most unwise of you to leave your bed,' began
Emmeline, with anxious thought for Louise's health, due probably to
her dread of having the girl in the house for an indefinite period.

'Oh, I've wrapped up. I feel shaky, that's all, and I shall have to
sit down.' She did so, on the nearest chair, with a little laugh at
her strange feebleness.

'Now please _don't_ quarrel, you two. Mrs. Mumford, don't mind
anything that mother says.'

Thereupon Louise's mother burst into a vehement exposition of the
reasons of discord, beginning with the calumnious stories she had
heard at Mrs. Jolliffe's, and ending with the outrageous arrogance
of Mrs. Mumford's latest remark. Louise listened with a smile.

'Now look here, mother,' she said, when silence came for a moment,
'you can't expect Mrs. Mumford to have a lot of strangers coming to
the house just on my account. She's sick and tired of us all, and
wants to see our backs as soon as ever she can. I don't say it to
offend you, Mrs. Mumford, but you know it's true. And I tell you
what it is: To-morrow morning I'm going back home. Yes, I am. You
can't stay here, mother, after this, and I'm not going to have
anyone new to wait on me. I shall go home in a cab, straight from
this house to the other, and I'm quite sure I shan't take any harm.'

'You won't do it till the doctor's given you leave,' said Mrs.
Higgins with concern.

'He'll be here at ten in the morning, and I know he will give me
leave. So there's an end of it. And you can go to bed and sleep in
peace, Mrs. Mumford.'

It was not at all unamiably said. But for Mrs. Higgins's presence,
Emmeline would have responded with a certain kindness. Still
smarting under the stout lady's accusations, which continued to
sound in sniffs and snorts, she answered as austerely as possible.

'I must leave you to judge, Miss Derrick, how soon you feel able to
go. I don't wish you to do anything imprudent. But it will be much
better if Mrs. Higgins regards me as a stranger during the rest of
her stay here. Any communication she wishes to make to me must be
made through a servant.'

Having thus delivered herself; Emmeline quitted the room. From the
library, of which the door was left ajar, she heard Louise