Anything Arnold Knox might have rejoined to this was stopped by the entrance of Patty herself, a light blue shawl on her shoulders. A momentary surprise crossed her face at sight of the doctor. "Oh, Dr. Knox! I did not know you were here," she said, as she threw off the shawl. "I was running about the garden for a few minutes. What a lovely day it is!--the sun so warm." "It is that. Lady Jenkins ought to be out in it. Should you not like to take a run in the garden?" he laughingly added to her. "Should I, Patty?" The utter abnegation of will, both of tone and look, as she cast an appealing glance at her companion, struck Dr. Knox forcibly. He looked at both of them from under his rather overhanging eyebrows. Did Madame St. Vincent extort this obedience?--or was it simply the old lady's imbecility? Surely it must be the latter. "I think," said madame, "a walk in the garden will be very pleasant for you, dear Lady Jenkins. Lettice shall bring down your things. The may-tree is budding beautifully." "Already!" said the doctor: "I should like to see it. Will you go with me, madame? I have two minutes to spare." Madame St. Vincent, showing no surprise, though she may have felt it, put the blue shawl on her shoulders again and followed Dr. Knox. The may-tree was nearly at the end of the garden, down by the shrubbery. "Mr. Tamlyn mentioned to you, I believe, that we suspected something improper, in the shape of opiates, was being given to Lady Jenkins," began Dr. Knox, never as much as lifting his eyes to the budding may-tree. "Yes; I remember that he did," replied Madame St. Vincent. "I hardly gave it a second thought." "Tamlyn said you had a difficulty in believing it. Nevertheless, I feel assured that it is so." "Impossible, Dr. Knox." "It seems impossible to you, I dare say. But that it is being done, I would stake my head upon. Lady Jenkins is being stupefied in some way: and I have brought you out here to tell you so, and to ask your co-operation in tracing the culprit." "But--I beg your pardon, Dr. Knox--who would give her anything of the kind? You don't suspect me, I hope?" "If I suspected you, my dear lady, I should not be talking to you as I am. The person we must suspect is Lettice Lane." "Lettice Lane!" "I have reason to think it. Lettice Lane's antecedents are not, I fear, quite so clear as they might be: though it is only recently I have known this. At any rate, she is the personal attendant of Lady Jenkins; the only one of them who has the opportunity of being alone with her. I must beg of you to watch Lettice Lane." Madame St. Vincent looked a little bewildered; perhaps felt so. Stretching up her hand, she plucked one of the budding may-blossoms. "Mr. Tamlyn hinted at Lettice also. I have always felt confidence in Lettice. As to drugs--Dr. Knox, I don't believe a word of it."