He did as she requested, then pronounced a verdict. "Your foot is better--much better, as you say. There is no reason why you should not get up, though it may be some little time before you have the entire use of it again." "At any rate I'll get out of bed--at once." "And, then, what do you propose to do when you are up?" "I'm going to see my husband." "Your husband?" "Can't I? Why can't I?" "Mrs. Grahame!--if it is your wish that you should be Mrs. Grahame." "Aren't I Mrs. Grahame? If I am, what's the good of pretending that I'm not? I am Mrs. Grahame, so there's an end of it." "Mrs. Grahame, haven't you any friends?" "What do you mean by friends?" "Haven't you any relatives? Is there no one to whom you are near and dear? no one to whom you are in any sense responsible for your actions; with whom in a measure your happiness or unhappiness must be shared?" "No one in this world!" He smiled at her vehemence, observing her closely all the time. "Since I am, in a degree, responsible for the--we will call it situation--you are in, I am not unnaturally desirous of having my conscience as clear as I conveniently can. I would, therefore, beg you earnestly to let the first thing you do be this: If you have--we will say an acquaintance--on whose judgment you can rely, write to him; lay the facts before him clearly, and await his response before you take any further step whatever--certainly before you seek to have an interview with Mr. Grahame." "There is no such person." "It is unfortunate, since you are so young, and, therefore necessarily, so inexperienced, that you should be so entirely alone in the world. Will you allow me to offer you some advice?" "What's the use? I've had enough of your advice already--too much." "How do you make out your case? I am unconscious of having offered you any advice." "You advised me to marry that man." "I advised you!" "Of course you did. There are more ways than one of offering advice; you chose the roundabout way. You told me that if I married him he'd be dead inside two hours, then I'd be richer by twenty thousand pounds. This is what comes of acting on your tip! No thank you. I've had enough and to spare of your advice; now and henceforward I'm going to act upon my own." "None the less I'm going to give you a piece of advice--of very sincere advice. You have been subjected to some slight inconvenience--though, perhaps, inconvenience is hardly the proper word." "I should think not." "My advice to you is: When your foot permits leave this house--I assure you it is not a pleasant one to live in; accept a reasonable sum by way of compensation; then blot the whole episode from your memory." "What do you call a reasonable sum?" "Say a hundred pounds."