"Now that's absurd and childish, Isabel, and you know it is. I did hope that now young Beck has gone, you would come to your senses. But I will be fair, and say that your brothers are worse than you. I suppose I shall have to beg and pray of them to come in to dinner, and behave like Christians, and not let Sir Cheltnam think he is going to be brother-in-law to a couple of young men with malice and hatred in their hearts. All your beautiful nurse's doing, my dear, all her fault. Well, really! To jump up and run out of the room like that!" cried Aunt Anne, staring in amazement at the last fold of her niece's dress, as the poor girl hurried away, unable to bear the long flow of annoying prattle, and to hide her chagrin in face of the ordeal to which she was to be submitted at the dinner projected by her aunt. She hurried up to her room, to sink upon her knees by her bed and bury her face in her hands. "Crying, Isabel? What is the matter, dear?" She had not heard the door opened, and she started to her feet to throw herself upon Nurse Elisia's breast, sobbing out her trouble, and dread of the meeting on the following Tuesday, when she knew that in her mistaken notions of duty, Aunt Anne would contrive that she and Sir Cheltnam should be left alone. CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE. A COUNTERPLOT. Neil Elthorne's absence from the hospital was rapidly extending to a term of months, broken only by a weekly visit, during the last of which Sir Denton, after hearing the report upon Ralph Elthorne's health, had said quietly: "Never mind if you have to be away from here another month, my dear boy. You are not right yet yourself. You look careworn and anxious. I am managing very well, and I want you to be quite strong before you return. By the way, I have not filled up that post yet. I have had three men engaged one after the other, but they have all turned tail--backed out of it. You will not alter your mind? Fine opportunity for a brave man, Elthorne." "No, I cannot leave England," replied Neil firmly. "There are reasons why I must stay." "A lady, of course," said Sir Denton to himself. "I did once think--but never mind. He knows his own affairs best." Neil was back at Hightoft after his last visit to town. His father was very slowly mending, and the nurse, as he could see, was indefatigable, her actions in the sick room disarming to some extent the young surgeon's resentment as he brooded over the fact that Alison was constantly watching, and obtained interviews with her, he felt convinced, from time to time. He used to muse over these matters in the library, where he had surrounded himself with various works into which he plunged deeply, trying hard to forget his troubles in hard study of his profession, but too often in vain, for he was haunted by Nurse Elisia's calm, grave face in all his waking hours. "She has a right to prefer him," he would say, "and I have none to complain; but it is hard, very hard."