“They cannot--shall not--come in,” he exclaimed. “It is an outrage! I gave strict orders that we were never to be disturbed. Tell them so, Steinberg! And at such a moment, too!” he added, as he wiped the beads of sweat from his brow. “Who is it? What do you want?” demanded the Doctor, of the intruder. “It’s me, Sir,” replied the voice of Mrs. Battleby, “which there’s a lady downstairs as wants to see Hannah Stubbs most particular! Will you please to open the door, Sir?” “No! Mrs. Battleby, I cannot! The lady must call another time! My patient is asleep from the effects of the medicine I have given her, and I cannot have her awakened. It might be dangerous!” “I won’t waken her, Sir, if you’ll kindly let me have a look at her, so as I may tell the lady as I see her asleep with my own eyes!” “You must tell her so on my authority,” replied Steinberg, “I cannot have Hannah disturbed on any account!” “What! not when I, as is her own mother’s friend, ask to look at her for a moment as she is asleep. Well! all I can say, Sir, is that I never ’eard tell of sich a thing--not in my borned days--and I can’t believe as any gentleman as calls ’isself sich, would keep a pore gal from ’er friends, when they arsks to see ’er.” “If the lady is a lady, she will not wish the girl to run the risk of danger from being roused, as your loud talking is likely to do now,” replied Steinberg, angrily, “and if you do not go away, or hold your tongue, Mrs. Battleby, and any harm comes to my patient from your intrusion, I shall report your behaviour to the Hospital authorities. How do you suppose I can administer such drugs as Colium maculatum and Æthusa cynapium, if the patient is to be disturbed whilst under their influence. If Hannah Stubbs dies from your violence I will have you indicted for man-slaughter.” “Lawk-a-me!” exclaimed the landlady, as she stumbled down the stairs again, “that would be a pretty thing to bring against Martha Battleby, as never hurted a wurrum in ’er life! But I believe as you’re capable of that, or any other villainy,” she continued, as she reached the kitchen again. Needless to say that the lady, who was so desirous of interviewing Hannah Stubbs, existed in her brain only, and that her sudden irruption upon the “foreign gents” as she sometimes designated Ricardo and his friend, had been induced solely from her intense curiosity to find out what these nightly visitations on the part of her “slavey” meant.