"Bad?" said Dr Stonor, when he was left alone to attend his patient at Sir Humphrey's. "Yes, of course he is bad--very bad. But I don't call this illness. He must suffer. Men who drink always do."

"But her ladyship, Stonor?" said Sir Humphrey; "will you come and see her now?"

"No," said the doctor roughly. "What for? Nothing the matter. She can cure herself whenever she likes. What are you going to do about your sister, soldier boy?"

"I--I don't know," replied d.i.c.k. "Ought I to fetch her back?"

"Yes--no--can't say," said the doctor. "Hang this man, how strong he is! Look here, d.i.c.k, my boy: here's a lesson for you. You will be a man some day. When you are, don't go and poison yourself with drink till your brain revolts and sets up a government of its own. Look at this: the man's as mad as a hatter, and I shall have to nearly poison him with strong drugs to calm him down. A wild revolutionary government, with death and destruction running riot. Think your sister has gone with John Huish?"

"I'm afraid so," said d.i.c.k, for Sir Humphrey seemed utterly unnerved.

"Don't see anything to be afraid of, boy. John Huish is a gentleman."

"I'm afraid not," said d.i.c.k hotly; "and it isn't gentlemanly to act as he has done about my sister."

"I shall have to get a strait-waistcoat for this fellow. About your sister. Bah! Human nature. Wait till you get old enough to fall in love, and some lady--mamma, say--wants to marry your pretty little Psyche to an old man. How then, my young Cupid?"

d.i.c.k changed colour like a girl.

"I hold to John Huish being a thorough gentleman, my boy. He's all right. I wish Renee's husband was as good a man. Yes, I mean you--you drunken, mad idiot I'm going to bring you round, and when I've done so, I hope, d.i.c.k, if he ever dares to say a word again about your sister Renee--"

"You've heard then?"

"Heard? Of course. Doctors hear and know everything. Parson's nowhere beside a doctor. People don't tell the parson all the truth: they always keep a little bit back. They tell the doctor all because they know he can see right through them. Lie still, stupid. Ha! he's calming down."

"Isn't he worse, Stonor?" asked Sir Humphrey.

"No; not a bit. And as I was saying, if, when he gets on his legs again, he dares to say a word against his wife, knock him down. I'll make him so weak it will be quite easy."

"Well, he deserves it," said d.i.c.k.

"Of course he does. So do you, for thinking ill of your sister. I'll be bound to say, if you sent to Wimpole Street, you'd find the poor girls there soaking pocket-handkerchiefs."

"By Jove! yes," cried d.i.c.k, starting at the doctor's suggestion. "Why, of course. Doctor, you've hit it! Depend upon it, they're gone to Uncle Robert's, father."

"Think so, my boy, eh?--think so?" said the old gentleman. "It would be very dull and gloomy."

"Nonsense!" said the doctor. "My dear boy, the more I think of it, the more likely it seems to me that they have gone there."

"Yes; that's it, doctor. Guv'nor, I don't like to be hard on you, but the doctor's a very old friend. It's a nice thing--isn't it?--that our girls should have to go to Uncle Robert's for the protection they cannot find here?"

"Yes, my dear boy, it is, it is," said the old man querulously; "but I can't help it. Her ladyship took the reins as soon as we were married, and she's held them very tightly ever since."

"Well, we'll go and see. You'll stay with Frank Morrison, doctor?"

"Stay, sir? Yes, I will. Think I'm going to be dragged down here from Highgate for nothing? I'll make Master Morrison play the shoddy-devil in his Yorkshire mill for something. He shall have such a bill as shall astonish him."

"Here, fetch a cab," shouted d.i.c.k to the man who answered the bell; and soon after the jangling vehicle was taking them to Wimpole Street.

It was four o'clock, and broad daylight, as the cab drew up at Captain Millet's door, when, in answer to a ring which d.i.c.k expected it would take half an hour to get attended to, the door was opened directly by Vidler.

"You were expecting us, then?" said d.i.c.k, as the little man put his head on one side, and glanced from the young officer to his father, and back again.

"Yes, sir. Master said you might come at any time, so I sat up."

"All right, father; they're here. What time did they come, Vidler?"

"They, sir?"

"Yes--my sisters," said d.i.c.k impatiently. "What time did they come?"

"Miss Renee came here about half-past ten, sir."

"There, dad," whispered d.i.c.k. "And Frank swore she'd gone off with Malpas. I knew it wasn't true. He wouldn't insult a brother officer like that."

"I'm very glad, my boy--I'm very glad," said Sir Humphrey feebly; and d.i.c.k turned to Vidler again.

"And Miss Gertrude, what time did she get here?"

"Miss Gertrude, sir?"

"Don't be a stupid old idiot!" cried d.i.c.k excitedly. "I say--what-- time--did--my--sister--Gertrude-get here?"

"She has not been here, sir," replied the little man--"not to-night."

d.i.c.k looked blankly at his father, and, in spite of his determination not to believe the story suggested about his sister, it seemed to try and force itself upon his brain.

"Where is Mrs Morrison?" he cried at last.

"Lying down, sir. Salome is watching by her. She seemed in great distress, sir, and," he added in a whisper, "we think master came out of his room and went to her when we had gone down."

"Poor Robert!" muttered Sir Humphrey.

"Master's very much distressed about her, gentlemen. Miss Renee is a very great favourite of his."

"Is my uncle awake, do you think?"

"I think so, sir," was the reply.

"Ask him if he will say a few words to my father and me. Tell him we are in great trouble."

The little man bowed and went upstairs, returning at the end of a minute or two to request them to walk up.

"Last time I was here," thought d.i.c.k, "I asked him for a couple of tenners, and he told me never to come near him again. A stingy old hunks! But, there, he's kind to the girls."

The little panel opened as Vidler closed the door, and Sir Humphrey, looking very old, and grey of hair and face, sat looking at it, leaving his son to open the conversation.

"Well, Humphrey, what is it?" said the voice behind the wainscoting.