He was as astonished as myself. 'What, _you_ here!' he cried. 'You dog me!' 'I was thinking the same thing of you, M. le Comte,' I answered, curtsying. He made no attempt at an excuse. 'Well, I have been sent for the will,' he broke out, curtly. 'And you were sent for the jewel-case,' I retorted. 'No, no, Dr. Fortescue-Langley; _I_ am in charge of the will, and I will take it myself to Mr. Ashurst.' 'I will be even with you yet,' he snapped out. 'I have gone back to my old trade, and am trying to lead an honest life; but _you_ won't let me.' 'On the contrary,' I answered, smiling a polite smile. 'I rejoice to hear it. If you say nothing more against me to your employer, I will not disclose to him what I know about you. But if you slander me, I will. So now we understand one another.' And I kept the will till I could give it myself into Mr Ashurst's own hands in his rooms that evening. VII THE ADVENTURE OF THE UNOBTRUSIVE OASIS I will not attempt to describe to you the minor episodes of our next twelve months--the manuscripts we type-wrote and the Manitous we sold. 'Tis one of my aims in a world so rich in bores to avoid being tedious. I will merely say, therefore, that we spent the greater part of the year in Florence, where we were building up a connection, but rode back for the summer months to Switzerland, as being a livelier place for the trade in bicycles. The net result was not only that we covered our expenses, but that, as chancellor of the exchequer, I found myself with a surplus in hand at the end of the season. When we returned to Florence for the winter, however, I confess I began to chafe. 'This is slow work, Elsie!' I said. 'I started out to go round the world; it has taken me eighteen months to travel no further than Italy! At this rate, I shall reach New York a gray-haired old lady, in a nice lace cap, and totter back into London a venerable crone on the verge of ninety.' However, those invaluable doctors came to my rescue unexpectedly. I do love doctors; they are always sending you off at a moment's notice to delightful places you never dreamt of. Elsie was better, but still far from strong. I took it upon me to consult our medical attendant; and his verdict was decisive. He did just what a doctor ought to do. 'She is getting on very well in Florence,' he said; 'but if you want to restore her health completely, I should advise you to take her for a winter to Egypt. After six months of the dry, warm desert air, I don't doubt she might return to her work in London.'