"How can I tell?" said Grace, angrily; "he does not allow her to move without him; she is a very prisoner in that terrible house, she cannot come and see me; she escaped once and he has taken means to prevent her ever coming again. He does not allow her to go to church or to see a single soul. He must be mad, he is mad!" "If I were Mr. Drayton and had a wife like your sister I would do the same, Miss Rivers." "What do you mean?" she cried, passionately. "Miss Rivers, your sister did not even allow to me that she had been out once. I saw her; I saw her meet her----I _know_ it was her lover, in a shop." Grace stared at him for a moment, and then she laughed wildly and hysterically. "Poor Paul!" she said; "imagine, only imagine, being taken for Margaret's lover!" Doctor Jones rose; he was exceedingly affronted. "You and your sister, madam, must find a less honest man to help you carry out your wicked plans against poor Mr. Drayton's happiness. I am incorruptible!" and, with his head well in the air and a strong sense of virtuous resistance to beauty and blandishments, he prepared to go. "Doctor Jones," said Grace, her burst of laughter over, "you have said a very wicked and a very ridiculous thing, but you had better go away. After your fancying anything wrong about Margaret I cannot bear seeing you. Why, the only excuse for you is, that you are probably as mad as Mr. Drayton." "Madam, you may throw off the mask now and be impertinent, but nothing you say will move me. I am not going to declare a man mad when I believe him to be sane, to suit you or any one else." "It does not in the least matter," said Grace, coolly, and speaking from the inspiration of the moment, "for the man whom I shall probably marry if I get strong, the man you imagine to be my sister's lover, will be here soon, and he will most likely bring Sir Augustus Jermyn down with him. I have great faith in _him_, and Sir Augustus will probably prefer naming the second medical man himself." Doctor Jones was very much taken aback. It was hard that being an honest man should prevent his being thrown with so eminent a man. "I--I should have no objection to meeting Sir Augustus and giving him my opinion. I should feel proud to assist him in forming a judgment." "I have no doubt of it," said Grace, sarcastically, "but nothing will induce me now to mention your name to Sir Augustus. You have too completely prejudged and misjudged my dearest sister. You see her meet a friend, a friend much attached to us both, and jump immediately to iniquitous conclusions. Leave me! I never will forgive you, and if anything happens to my sister on you will the whole responsibility fall."