"Nurse Elisia is quite aware of that," said Neil coldly; and his lips quivered slightly, as he saw that in spite of her apparent immobility, she was watching him curiously as if wondering what he would say; but he went on in the same cold, passionless way, "It is not a question of mistress or hired servant, but of care of my patient's progress toward recovery. I gave instructions that my father should never be in the slightest degree disturbed when he dropped into a natural sleep, and the nurse has done her duty and nothing more. Come away now, please, and you will see this in the proper light, if you will give it a moment's thought." Aunt Anne gave her hands a kind of wave as if she were smoothing out a cloth over a table, and turning suddenly, walked with stately strides toward the head of the stairs, followed by her nephew, who did not even glance at Nurse Elisia, neither did he speak again till the drawing room was reached. "The nurse was quite right, Aunt," he said quietly. "You must see that an attendant who did not carry out one's instructions to the letter would be untrustworthy." "Pray say no more about it, Neil," she replied, with a great show of dignity. "I suppose I am growing old and useless. But there was a time when my opinion was of value in a sick chamber." "Yes, of course, my dear Aunt, but this is a case where the patient must be kept perfectly quiet." "Yes, that is it, Neil. You have become so absorbed in your studies as a surgeon that you seem to forget that my poor dear brother is your father." "Nonsense, Aunt, dear." "Oh, no, sir, it is the truth. I suppose I shall be looked upon as a patient next." "Yes; as my dear loving patient Aunt," said Neil, smiling. "There, don't take any more notice of it. Good-bye. Come, come, don't look at me like that. It brings back one of your old scoldings when I was a boy." He kissed her and went out of the room. "But I don't like it," said Aunt Anne, "and I am not one to be deceived. I disliked that woman from the hour she entered the house. I had my forebodings then, and they grow firmer every day. He took her part directly. Why, Isabel, my dear, I thought you were down the garden," she cried, as her niece entered the room. "I? No, Aunt. I just went to get a few flowers for papa, and I wanted to take them and arrange them in his room, but Nurse Elisia keeps watch there like a dragon, and would not let me go in." "Why, she would not even let me go in," cried Aunt Anne with great emphasis on the first personal pronoun. "Wouldn't she, Aunt?" "No, my dear, and I shall bless the day when that woman goes. She is not what she appears." "Isn't she, Aunt?" "No, my dear." "I've thought something of that kind," said Isabel dreamily. "She seems so much of the lady, and as if she quite looked down upon me, as being superior to us." "Yes, my dear, and it makes my blood boil at times."