"Is she kind as she is fair?
For beauty lives with kindness.
Love doth to her eyes repair
To help him of his blindness,
And, being helped, inhabits there."

The singing was very gentle. Overnight the song had floated into the
air, rich, full, vibrant; but now a tender note had crept into the
rendering, giving the melody a rare sweetness. I listened pleasedly.
My side was very sore and stiff. Also my head ached rather.

"Priceless voice that little girl's got," said Berry in a low voice.

"Isn't she a dear, too?" said Daphne. "Fancy giving up her own
bedroom, so that we could have the salon next door."

"I know. But I wish she wouldn't keep on reproaching herself so. If a
girl likes to step on to her own balcony, it's not her fault if some
fellow underneath falls over himself and breaks a couple of ribs.
However. When's the comic leech coming back?"

"This afternoon," said my sister. "But he'll wake before then. I
don't expect he'll remember much about last night. I'm so thankful
it's not more serious."

"How soon did he say he'd be up?"

"Inside a week. It's a clean fracture. Of course, he'll be strapped
up for some time. Fancy his going on, though."

"Must have been temporarily deranged," said my brother-in-law airily.
"Shock of the fall, I expect."

"Rubbish!" said his wife. "Just because you'd have lain there, giving
directions about your funeral and saying you forgave people, you think
anybody's mad for trying to get on. Boy has courage."

"Only that of his convictions," said Berry. "You forget I've got a
clean sheet. My discharge from the Navy was marked 'Amazing'. The
only stain upon my character is my marriage. As for my escutcheon,
I've shaved in it for years."

"Fool!" said his wife.

"I shall turn my face to the wall if you're not careful."

"Don't," said Daphne. "Remember, it's not our house.

"There was a tap at the door. Then:

"May I come in?" said Silvia.

"Of course you may, dear. No. He's still asleep."

"It's nearly twelve," said Silvia. "Won't you go and rest a little,
and let me stay here? You must be so tired. I'll call you the moment
he wakes."

Daphne hesitated. "It's awfully good of you--"

"But it isn't. I'd love to."

"The truth is, she's afraid to trust you, Miss Bairling," said Berry.
"She thinks you're going to steal his sock-suspenders."

"Will you leave the room?" said my sister.

"After you, beloved."

I could hear Silv