And so Rachel gave way and promised, and the Bishop left the house with a heavy heart. Besides the state of Rachel's health he had learnt for the first time of their extreme poverty of which he had had no idea. He did not suppose that Rachel's family knew the state of their finances, as Gwen would certainly have enlarged upon it in her letter to him had she known. No doubt Rachel had hidden the fact from her mother partly to save her pain, and also to prevent her from blaming Luke for marrying her when he could not provide for her. Something must be done. He was unwilling to give Luke too sudden a shock by telling him what he thought of his wife's health, but as Mrs. Greville was now getting stronger, he decided to enlighten her quickly about the matter. He would write directly he got home; and meanwhile, the thought that this was only one case of extreme poverty that existed among the clergy in his diocese, lay on his heart like lead. But the doctor told Mrs. Greville of the serious state of Rachel's health before the Bishop's letter reached her. [Illustration] CHAPTER XXII. THE DREAM OF HIS LIFE. Rachel did not hurry to see a doctor, but having promised to do so she knew she must keep her word, so the second day after the Bishop's visit, knowing that Luke would be away at a clerical meeting in the country, she wrote a note to the doctor who had been attending her mother-in-law asking him to come and see her. She did not suppose that there was anything seriously the matter with her notwithstanding the fact that she felt so ill; and after all, she thought to herself, she need not follow out his injunctions if they were inconvenient. She was quite unprepared for his verdict. He told her that both her heart and her lungs were affected, and that it was absolutely necessary that she should give up all parish work and if possible take a thorough rest. To Mrs. Greville, he gave a still more serious account. "She should leave this place at once," he said, "and live as far as possible an open air life. A sanatorium would give her the best chance. But if this is impossible she should go into the country or to the sea. Of course she has been doing the work of two or three women. She must drop all that and what is more she should be fed up. She is not properly nourished." "Do you mean to say you think that she has not had enough food?" asked Mrs. Greville very much distressed. "I am afraid not. She has not looked after herself at all. I made her tell me what she had had in the way of food yesterday, and when I heard I was not surprised at her state of health. "I am afraid it will be an awful blow to my son," said Mrs. Greville. "I'm afraid it will, but if he wants to keep her he must make some other arrangement for her. I won't be responsible for her life unless she is removed as soon as possible, and is given the opportunity of changing entirely her way of living."