her eyes.

"You will find him in his old room," she said quietly. "The nurse is a
friend of yours, a Miss McKane."

"Thank you." He turned away, but at the foot of the staircase paused. "Is
there no hope?" he inquired. "Is it as bad as Wade--"

"There is only one hope, Braden," she said, "and that is that he may die
soon." Curiously, he was not shocked by this remark. He appreciated the
depth of feeling behind it. She was thinking of Templeton Thorpe, not of
herself.

"I--I can't tell you how shocked, how grieved I am," he said. "It
is--terrible."

She drew a few steps nearer. "I want you to feel, Braden, that you are
free to come and go--and to stay--in this house. I know that you have said
you would not come here while I am its mistress. I am in no sense its
mistress. I have no place here. If you prefer not to see me, I shall make
it possible by remaining in my room. It is only fair that I should speak
to you at once about--about this. That is why I waited here to see you. I
may as well tell you that Mr. Thorpe does not expect me to visit his
room,--in fact, he undoubtedly prefers that I should not do so. I have
tried to help him. I have done my best, Braden. I want you to know that.
It is possible that he may tell you as much. Your place is here. You must
not regard me an obstacle. It will not be necessary for you to communicate
with me. I shall understand. Dr. Bates keeps me fully informed." She spoke
without the slightest trace of bitterness.

He heard her to the end without lifting his gaze from the floor. When she
was through, he looked at her.

"You _are_ the mistress of the house, Anne. I shall not overlook the fact,
even though you may. If my grandfather wishes me to do so, I shall remain
here in the house with him--to the end, not simply as his relative, but to
do what little I can in a professional way. Why was I not informed of his
condition?" His manner was stern.

"You must ask that question of Mr. Thorpe himself," said she. "As I have
told you, he is the master of the house. The rules are his, not mine; and,
by the same token, the commands are his."

He hesitated for a moment. "You might have sent word to me. Why didn't
you?"

"Because I was under orders," she said steadily. "Mr. Thorpe would not
allow us to send for you. There was an excellent purpose back of his
decision to keep you on the other side of the Atlantic until you were
ready to return of your own accord. I daresay, if you refle