"Oh, if I should wait for _Eve's_ approval!" said Cicely. "Eve doesn't approve of anything in the world except that she should have Jack, and take him away with her, Heaven knows where. She hasn't any feelings as other people have; she has never cared for anybody excepting herself, and her brother, and I dare say that when she had him she tried to rule him, as she tries now to rule me and every one. She is jealous about him, and that makes her hate Ferdie: perhaps you don't know that she hates Ferdie? She does; she was sorry this morning, absolutely sorry, when she heard that, though he was dreadfully hurt, he wasn't dead." "Oh, Cicely!" said Eve. She turned away and walked towards one of the windows, her face covered by her hands. Paul's eyes followed her. Then they came back to Cicely. "Very well, then, since it appears to be left to me, I must tell you plainly that you cannot go to-night; we shall not allow it." "We!" ejaculated Cicely. "Who are we?" "I, then, if you like--I alone." "What can you do? I am free; no one has any authority over me except Ferdie." Paul did not reply. "You will scarcely attempt to keep me by force, I suppose?" she went on. "If necessary, yes. But it will not be necessary." "Grandpa would never permit it. Grandpa?" She summoned him to her side with an imperious gesture. The old man came towards her a step or two. Then he left the room hurriedly. Cicely watched him go, with startled eyes. But she recovered herself, and looked at Paul undaunted. "Why do you treat me so, Cicely?" he said. "I care about Ferdie as much as you do; I have always cared about him,--hasn't he ever told you? There never were two boys such chums; and although, since he has grown up, he has had others, I have never had any one but him; I haven't wanted any one. Is it likely, then, that I should try to set you against him?--that I should turn against him myself?--I ask you that." "It is setting me against him not to let me go to him. How do we know that he is not dying?" Her voice was quiet and hard. "We know because the letters do not speak of danger; on the contrary, they tell us that the ball has been extracted, and that the fever is going down. He will get well. And then some measures must be taken before you can go back to him; otherwise it would not be safe." "And do I care about safe? I should like to die if _he_ did!" cried Cicely, passionately. She looked like a hunted creature at bay. "And your child; what is your idea about him?" "That's it; take up Eve's cry--do! You know I will never give up baby, and so you both say that." She sank down on the sofa, her head on her arms, her face hidden. Her little figure lying there looked so desolate that Eve hurried forward from the window. Then she stopped, she felt that Cicely hated her.