These were dark days for every one. Elma had the best of it. She left the Symington groove after a day or so, and worked on to Isobel. Isobel invaded her mind. It was a blessing that Isobel was barred by real distaste to the business from going in to help with the nursing of Elma. What she said of her pointed to more than a mere dislike. It revolved into fear as the delirium progressed. Then a second nurse arrived, and between them the two began really to decrease the temperature. The first good news came, "Asleep for ten minutes," and after that there was no backward turn in the illness for Elma. Throughout this time there had been the keenest inquiries made as to what had caused the illness. Cuthbert was down and "made things hum" in the matter of wakening up the sanitary authorities and so on. But no flaw in the arrangement of the White House or anything near it could be discovered. Then Dr. Merryweather called one day. "I have another patient in Miss Annie," he said. Miss Annie! This gave a clue. "Typhoid at her age is unusual," he said, "but she has not developed the power of resisting disease like ordinary people. She has been in a good condition for harbouring every germ that happened to be about. I’m afraid we cannot save her." He turned to Mrs. Leighton. His kind old face twitched suddenly. "Oh, dear, dear," she exclaimed. "What will Miss Grace do? What will little Elma do?" "Miss Grace is all right," said Dr. Merryweather. "I’ve seen to that. Elma must not know, of course." "This looks like contraction from a common cause," said Cuthbert. "I’ll be at it whatever it is. We don’t want any one else sacrificed." Dr. Merryweather looked at him gravely. "I have just been getting at the tactics of the local government," said he. "You couldn’t believe they could be so prompt in Ridgetown. Three weeks ago, a gardener living near Miss Annie complained of an atrocious stench coming from over the railway. It was so bad that when the local government body at his demand approached it, they had to turn and run. An open stream had been used as a common sewer and run into the railway cutting, where it had stagnated. Can you imagine the promptness of the local government? Evans, the gardener, threatened to report to you, Mr. Leighton, since your daughter was so ill and had visited so much at Miss Annie’s. They managed to keep his mouth shut, and they have removed the sewer. Too late for Miss Annie." "Too late for my little girl," said Mr. Leighton. It seemed an extraordinary thing that the two daughters who had gone away, and given them so much anxiety, should be coming home radiantly independent, and Elma, sheltered at home, should be lying just lately rescued from death. The same thought seemed to strike Dr. Merryweather in another connection.