"I am. What the devil should I be here for if I weren't? Gracious--what ridiculous questions people can ask on a hot day!" "Can I assist you, madam?" asked the captain, making a step forward. But she waved him back fiercely. "Keep off, keep off!" she cried. "I'm not a baby, and I can find my way alone, even in such a pokey place as this." Still pushing Comethup before her, she got into the house and, in some fashion or other, into the little parlour. The captain had backed nervously away from her, as though he were backing from royalty, and now stood at a few paces distant, indefinitely waving his hands toward a chair which he had placed for her. But she stood, and waved her stick round the room, like some strange enchantress, still keeping her hand on the boy's shoulder. There was an awkward pause for a moment or two, and then she spoke again, with growing impatience and in a higher key. "Well, where is the man? Everybody seems to have lost their wits to-day. That infernal driver at the station sighed, as though his breakfast hadn't agreed with him, when I mentioned where I wanted to go; and now here's a man and a boy who've lost their tongues, and are staring at me as though I'd just come from paradise. Will no one speak? Where's David Willis?" "David Willis is--is upstairs, madam," said the captain, with the idea of breaking the matter gently to her. "Well, fetch him down. Gracious, what fools men are!" "I regret that it is impossible," said the captain. "Why? What's the matter with the man?" "David Willis is dead." "Dead! What on earth are you talking about?" she asked, sharply. She sat down then, still keeping her grip of Comethup's shoulder and leaning heavily on her stick with the other hand. "I'm telling you the simple truth," replied the captain. "David Willis died quite suddenly yesterday." She was silent for a moment, and appeared to be ruminating, although there was no expression save that of baffled anger on her great face. Comethup, glancing timidly up at her, saw that above the face, and under her bonnet of many colours, was a great mass of very beautiful snow-white hair. After a moment she spoke again, although her voice was scarcely any more gentle than before. "Well, this is the last time I'll come on such a fool's errand as this," she exclaimed. "Here I've been wandering about since early morning, swearing at porters and wondering all the time why I ever started, and the very man I came to see has died before I could get to him. Why the devil couldn't he die next week, or a month ago, or any other time? Who are you, sir?" she asked, quite suddenly and fiercely, addressing the captain. The captain presented himself with some formality, and she nodded at him in acknowledgment. The captain went on to state briefly that he was a friend of the dead man, and had come there that day chiefly on account of the child. She became alert and eager in an instant.