"No... Oh Eliot, that's Uncle Robert's door."

Upstairs the door opened and shut and Adeline came to the head of the

stairs.

"Oh Eliot, come quick----"

Eliot rushed upstairs. And Anne heard Adeline sobbing hysterically and

crying out to him.

"I can't--I can't. I can not bear it!"

She saw her trail off along the gallery to her room; she heard her lock

herself in. She had every appearance of running away from something.

From something she could not bear. Half an hour passed before Eliot came

back to Anne.

"What was it?" she said.

"What I thought. Gastric ulcer. He's had a haemorrhage."

That was what Aunt Adeline had run away from.

"Look here, Anne, I've got to send Scarrott in the car for Ransome. Then

he'll have to go on to Cheltenham to fetch Colin."

"Colin?" This was the end then.

"Yes. He'd better come. And I want you to do something. I want you to

drive over to Medlicote and bring Jerrold back. It's beastly for you.

But you'll do it, won't you?"

"I'll do anything."

It was the beastliest thing she had ever had to do, but she did it.

From where she drew up in the drive at Medlicote she could see the

tennis courts. She could see Jerrold playing in the men's singles. He

stood up to the net, smashing down the ball at the volley; his back was

turned to her as he stood.

She heard him shout. She heard him laugh. She saw him turn to come up

the court, facing her.

And when he saw her, he knew.

She opened her door and looked out. When she saw Jerrold she came to

him, slowly, supporting herself by the gallery rail. Her eyes were sore

with crying and there was a flushed thickening about the edges of her

mouth.

"So you've come back," she said. "You might go in and tell me how he

is."

"Haven't you seen him?"

"Of course I've seen him. But I'm afraid, Jerrold. It was awful, awful,

the haemorrhage. You can't think how awful. I daren't go in and see it

again. I shouldn't be a bit of good if I did. I should only faint, or be

ill or something. I simply can not bear it."

"You mustn't go in," he said.

"Who's with him?"

"Eliot and Anne."




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