nurse in the next room and who bored and irritable at being kept so much indoors seemed to be meditating unspeakable upon the now no longer new with the pink hat stood lazily at the open window with his hands in his pockets and his back to the company watching the progress of the storm lie had developed rather a habit of standing doing nothing but stare out of the window just lately a sketch in black and white the prospect was not a cheering one across the lake the mountains of and of the were behind heavy streaming masses of white mist down toward there was a lurid light in the sky and the swiftly moving copper colored clouds were twisted and into a thousand weird fantastic shapes the broad lake itself was a blue with long of livid gray where the sudden of wind swept across the angry surface of the water in the could see the waves dashing themselves against the stone wall on the other side of the while great drops of rain and on the broad leaves of the plane trees in the garden just below it was not an encouraging outlook certainly but perhaps was none the less in sympathy with it on that account there was a knock at the door of the t cried mrs frank over her shoulder then turning to the little girl on the floor by her side she said my dear child do have some sort of compassion on that unfortunate doll tou u break its head right you know if you bang it down on the floor in that way looked up with a very little face at her mother and the head down again on the floor i hate this she said she s so old i want to go out into the garden and play turned round as the door opened it was only a hurried and slightly distracted with a packet of english letters none for yoa said frank as lie examined them before proceeding to open them turned back to the window again cried frank all of a sudden why what s the matter asked his wife almost any event would have been a relief to her this afternoon she felt so bored elizabeth s ill down at said frank slowly running his eyes over the pages of the letter old mr writes they want me to go there at once set his teeth rather hard as he watched the of wind chasing each other across the sullen face of the lake ho remembered elizabeth as ho had soon her last standing pale and patient in her white dress among the scattered flowers lie had told her once that were silly things but lie thought with a sickening feeling of dread of the stain upon her bosom come here cried frank sharply look here this letter s a good week old it was sent to london and evidently it wasn t forwarded for several days moved quickly across the room and kneeling down by her husband s side began reading the letter anything may have happened by this time frank said what on earth am i to do oh i fm afraid she is really very ill i am afraid it is serious said in accents of genuine alarm and distress i tell you what frank she went on getting up and standing by him with a pretty air of determination i must go oft to her at once this very evening a sketch in black and white indeed you ll do nothing of tlie kind he answered shortly like a good many other people frank had a habit of getting remarkably when he was frightened it s quite bad enough to have elizabeth a nasty fever going and about in cottages without your rushing off to look after her and catching it too and i ve not the least intention of being left here tied by the leg with a grumbling nurse and a couple of naughty children on my hands i can tell you i m sure the children arc not particularly answered who in the very article of death would have up to defend the i of the two babies i don t know what on earth to do though said frank had turned round and was standing with his back to the window he had formed a definite plan in his own mind but he wanted to propose it quietly and make it appear the most natural and obvious course in the world both to himself and to his companions he sauntered slowly up to the sofa one thing is certain anyway frank he said quietly you can t travel i know answered the other man i hope i m not a great coward you know but i really don t think i could and mrs can t be spared added that s clear glanced up at him quickly she held her own opinion as to what had made elizabeth m retire to and become so silent and moody even at this moment of real trouble on her part � for she was very fond of elizabeth � she could not resist trying to gain some hints regarding past events from his manner and expression looked at her steadily there was something rather hard and unpleasant in his face which made drop her eyes quickly on to the open letter again if you write he continued it will be at least five or six days before you can get any answer if you telegraph you can t explain all your reasons for not coming and they may not think you rather indifferent and he paused a minute i really think you d better let me go ho added i can catch the evening train through to paris you know i could go right on down to and telegraph you the real state of the case you really are the 