It seemed
to her disgraceful that he, a strong male creature, should be lying
there damaged, helpless, and under the foolish delusion that he was
dying. She recalled with bitter gusto the tone in which the doctor had
said, "He's no more dying than I am!" All her fears that the doctor
might be wrong had vanished away. She now resented her husband's
illness; as a nurse, when danger is over, will resent a patient's long
convalescence, somehow charging it to him as a sin.
"I found the other half of the notes under the chair on the--" Louis
began again.
"Please!" she objected with quick resounding violence, and raised a
hand.
He said--
"You must listen."
She answered, passionately--
"I won't listen! I won't listen! And if you don't stop I shall leave
the room! I shall leave you all alone!... Yes, I shall!" She moved a
little towards the door.
His gloomy and shifty glance followed her, and there was a short
silence.
"You needn't work yourself up into such a state," murmured Louis at
length. "But I _should_ like to know whether the scullery door
was open or not, when you came downstairs that night?"
Rachel's glance fell. She blushed. The tears had ceased to drop from
her eyes.
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