“Good morning,” returned Miss Rosetta, crisply and cheerfully.  She, at any rate, would not go into eclipse until she knew the reason therefor.  “It is a fine day.”

“A very fine day,” assented Mr. Patterson, solemnly.  “I have just come from the Wheeler place, Miss Ellis, and I regret to say—­”

“Charlotte is sick!” cried Miss Rosetta, rapidly.  “Charlotte has got another spell with her heart!  I knew it!  I’ve been expecting to hear it!  Any woman that drives about the country as much as she does is liable to heart disease at any moment. I never go outside of my gate but I meet her gadding off somewhere.  Goodness knows who looks after her place.  I shouldn’t like to trust as much to a hired man as she does.  Well, it is very kind of you, Mr. Patterson, to put yourself out to the extent of calling to tell me that Charlotte is sick, but I don’t really see why you should take so much trouble—­I really don’t.  It doesn’t matter to me whether Charlotte is sick or whether she isn’t.  You know that perfectly well, Mr. Patterson, if anybody does.  When Charlotte went and got married, on the sly, to that good-for-nothing Jacob Wheeler—­”

“Mrs. Wheeler is quite well,” interrupted Mr. Patterson desperately.  “Quite well.  Nothing at all the matter with her, in fact.  I only—­”

“Then what do you mean by coming here and telling me she wasn’t, and frightening me half to death?” demanded Miss Rosetta, indignantly.  “My own heart isn’t very strong—­it runs in our family—­and my doctor warned me to avoid all shocks and excitement.  I don’t want to be excited, Mr. Patterson.  I won’t be excited, not even if Charlotte has another spell.  It’s perfectly useless for you to try to excite me, Mr. Patterson.”

“Bless the woman, I’m not trying to excite anybody!” declared Mr. Patterson in exasperation.  “I merely called to tell you—­”

“To tell me what?” said Miss Rosetta.  “How much longer do you mean to keep me in suspense, Mr. Patterson.  No doubt you have abundance of spare time, but—­I—­have not.”

“—­that your sister, Mrs. Wheeler, has had a letter from a cousin of yours, and she’s in Charlottetown.  Mrs. Roberts, I think her name is—­”

“Jane Roberts,” broke in Miss Rosetta.  “Jane Ellis she was, before she was married.  What was she writing to Charlotte about?  Not that I want to know, of course.  I’m not interested in Charlotte’s correspondence, goodness knows.  But if Jane had anything in particular to write about she should have written to me.  I am the oldest.  Charlotte had no business to get a letter from Jane Roberts without consulting me.  It’s just like her underhanded ways.  She got married the same way.  Never said a word to me about it, but just sneaked off with that unprincipled Jacob Wheeler—­”

“Mrs. Roberts is very ill.  I understand,” persisted Mr. Patterson, nobly resolved to do what he had come to do, “dying, in fact, and—­”