‘ It ’ s true. Being bought for a house, to live in—by a doctor, a young doctor. ’
They looked at her as if she had gone mad, so she went on quickly, ‘ I was there, at Fairmead, this afternoon. I saw him, I talked to him. I know it ’ s true .’
‘ You were there? ’
‘ Why? You ’ re not supposed to go over there! The place is in a frightful state! Besides, that awful old woman ‘
‘Mrs. Walker has gone to live with people who will take care of her—relatives, I think he said. He said it was almost settled. He was almost ready to move in. ’
They all talked at once. Mrs. Otts came in to hear what was going on. She didn ’ t come in to stand and listen, but she did discover that she had left stale mustard in the cruet and that it was imperative to bring in the small breakfast cruet with fresh mustard in to replace it, and she could take long enough over that to hear a good deal of what was being discussed.
‘ What ’ s his name? ’ they all wanted to know.
‘ I don ’ t know. He didn ’ t tell me that! ’
‘ Then how did you know he was a doctor ?’
Now came the crucial moment, and if Mrs. Otts hadn ’ t been in the room Gwenny would have said, quite naturally, that she had fainted and he had carried her into the sitting-room and put her on the couch and talked about her health. Her father could hardly be too furious with her brother there too, because although Laurence held no brief for his younger sister as a rule, he always ranged himself on her side if his father got angry with Gwenny.
But Mrs. Otts was listening avidly, her eyes on Gwenny as if she could almost read her secret, so Gwenny said,
‘ He told me rather irritably that he was a doctor and he seemed to think that wouldn ’ t make him an unacceptable member of local society. ’
‘ You mean he ’ s going to practise there? ’ her father roared.
‘ No, I don ’ t think so, ’ Gwenny said doubtfully. ‘ He did mention the hospital at Northmoor and I got a hazy impression that he ’ s something to do with that. Is that possible ?’
The consternation quelled their indignant voices for a brief patch of time and they all looked at each other as if the same awful thought had occurred to them all.
In the silence, the station cab pulled up outside. You couldn ’ t mistake its rather special noise, as if the engine was going to die very painfully, yet somehow it just never did. They could hear Fred ’ s voice. Fred owned the cab and was quite unjustifiably proud of his possession. They could also hear Priscilla ’ s voice, and she didn ’ t sound very pleased.
‘ Oh, Priscilla ’ s back, ’ Mrs. Kinglake said rather unnecessarily, and her eyes sought Mrs. Otts ’ , begging her not to make a fuss about two extra people descended on the household suddenly without warning.
Mrs. Otts was far too much interested in the tension and what was trying to be kept hidden from her. She said, ‘ I wonder what ’ s the matter with her ? Got kicked out of her hospital, I wonder? ’
Mrs. Otts would have liked that. Mrs. Kinglake and the doctor said at once, ‘ Certainly not! ’
Priscilla came storming in, leaving Fred in the hall for someone else to settle the bill. She said, ‘ Oh, the most awful thing ’ s happened! ’
‘ Yes, well, why don ’ t you pay for the cab, dear, and let Fred go? ’ said Mrs. Kinglake, and she prayed for a good reason to occur to her to get Mrs. Otts back to the kitchen without offending her.
‘ What a daft question—she won ’ t have enough money, ’ the doctor grumbled, and got to his feet to go and pay off the cab driver.
‘ I ’ ll get her soup, ’ Mrs. Otts said, ‘ but leave the door open so ’ s I can hear. I wouldn ’ t miss this for worlds! ’ And that rather settled that, Gwenny thought dismally.
Priscilla went in, without waiting for her father ’ s return, ‘ There ’ s a rumour going round the hospital that that man is buying a house in our district!