Blind Love

"May I look in the spare room?" she asked, expecting to be roughly

refused.

"By all means--by all means," said the doctor, blandly. "You know your

way about. If there is anything left belonging to your mistress or to

you, pray take it."

She tried one more question.

"How is my patient? How is Mr. Oxbye?"

"He is gone."

"Gone? Where has he gone to? Gone?"

"He went away yesterday--Friday. He was a grateful creature. I wish we

had more such grateful creatures as well as more such faithful

servants. He said something about finding his way to London in order to

thank you properly. A good soul, indeed!"

"Gone?" she repeated. "Why, on Thursday morning I saw him--" She

checked herself in time.

"It was on Wednesday morning that you saw him, and he was then

recovering rapidly."

"But he was far too weak to travel."

"You may be quite certain that I should not have allowed him to go away

unless he was strong enough."

Fanny made no reply. She had seen with her own eyes the man lying still

and white, as if in death; she had seen the new nurse rushing off,

crying that he was dead. Now she was told that he was quite well, and

that he had gone away! But it was no time for thought.

She was on the point of asking where the new nurse was, but she

remembered in time that it was best for her to know nothing, and to

awaken no suspicions. She opened the door of the spare room and looked

in. Yes; the man was gone--dead or alive--and there were no traces left

of his presence. The place was cleared up; the cupboard stood with open

doors, empty; the bed was made; the curtain pushed back; the sofa was

in its place against the wall; the window stood open. Nothing in the

room at all to show that there had been an occupant only two days

before. She stared blankly. The dead man was gone, then. Had her senses

altogether deceived her? Was he not dead, but only sleeping? Was her

horror only a thing of imagination? Behind her, in the hall, stood the

doctor, smiling, cheerful.

She remembered that her first business was to find her mistress. She

was not connected with the Dane. She closed the door and returned to

the hall.

"Well," asked the doctor, "have you made any discoveries? You see that

the house is deserted. You will perhaps learn before long why. Now what

will you do? Will you go back to London?"