People moved very noiselessly about that house, and scarcely a minute had passed when the door opened softly, and the fair Magnolia Macnamara popped in her glowing face and brilliant glance, and whispered.

‘Are you there, Mrs. Sturk, dear?’

At the far side of the bed, Dangerfield, with his flashing spectacles and snowy aspect, and a sort of pant, rose up straight, and looked into her eyes, like a white bird of prey disturbed over its carrion.

She uttered a little scream—­quite pale on a sudden—­for she did not recognise the sinister phantom who glimmered at her over the prostrate Sturk.

But Dangerfield laughed his quiet hollow ‘ha! ha! ha!’ and said promptly,

’A strange old nurse I make, Miss Macnamara.  But what can I do?  Mrs. Sturk has left me in charge, and faith I believe our patient’s looking mighty badly.’

He had observed Miss Mag glancing from him to the dumb figure in the bed with a puzzled kind of horror.

The fact is, Sturk’s face had a leaden tint; he looked, evidently enough, even in that dim candle-light, a great deal worse than the curious Miss Mag was accustomed to see him.

’He’s very low, to-night, and seems oppressed, and his pulse is failing; in fact, my dear young lady, he’s plainly worse to-night than I like to tell poor Mrs. Sturk, you understand.’

‘And his face looks so shiny and damp-like,’ said Miss Mag, with a horrible sort of scrutiny.

’Exactly so, Miss, ‘tis weakness,’ observed Dangerfield.

‘And you were wiping it with your pocket-handkerchief when I looked in,’ continued Miss Mag.

’Was I—­ha, ha—­’tis wonderful how quick we learn a new business.  I vow I begin to think I should make a very respectable nursetender.’

‘And what the dickens brings him up here?’ asked Miss Mag of herself; so soon as the first shock was over, the oddity of the situation struck her as she looked with perplexed and unpleasant sort of enquiry at Mr. Dangerfield.

Just then up came the meek little Mrs. Sturk, and the gentleman greeted her with a ’Well, Madam, I have not left his bedside since you went down; and I think he looks a little better—­just a little—­eh?’

‘I trust and pray, Sir, that when the doctor—­’ began Mrs. Sturk, and stopped short, for Mr. Dangerfield frowned quickly, and pointed towards Miss Mag, who was now, after her wont, looking round the room for matter of interest.

‘And is Pell comin’ out to-night?’ asked Miss Mag quickly.

‘No, truly.  Madam,’ answered the gentleman:  ’Dr. Pell’s not comin’—­is he, Mrs. Sturk?’

‘Dr. Pell!—­oh, la—­no, Sir.  No, my dear.’  And, after a pause, ’Oh, ho.  I wish it was over,’ she groaned, with her hand pressed to her side, looking with a kind of agony on Sturk.

‘What over?’ asked Miss Mag.

Just then a double-knock came to the hall-door, and Mr. Dangerfield signed sternly to Mrs. Sturk, who first stood up, with her eyes and mouth wide open, and then sat down, like a woman going to faint.