She understood. "Dudley!" she whispered. "Where is he? Why haven't you brought him in?" "He is at the gate. Where is my father? I must speak to him first, or to mother." Mrs. Wedmore herself, having been informed by Bartram of the arrival of her son, now came out of the breakfast-room to meet him. In a few words he informed her of the circumstances, adding, as he was bound to do, that there was a possibility that the police might come to make inquiries, if not to arrest Dudley. But Doreen, who insisted on hearing everything, overruled the faint objection which Mrs. Wedmore made, and determined to have him brought in before her father could learn anything about it. Max, therefore, went down to bring the carriage up to the door, and Dudley, having been roused into a half-conscious condition, was assisted into the house and up to one of the spare bedrooms--Max on one side and Bartram on the other. By this time Mr. Wedmore had, of course, become aware of what was going on; but it was now too late to interfere, even if he had wished to do so. When Dudley had been taken upstairs, Doreen met her brother as he came down. "Who is the girl with the sweet face inside the carriage?" Max stammered a little, and then said, by a happy inspiration: "Oh, that's the nurse. You see--he was so ill--" Doreen looked at him keenly, but did not wait for anymore explanations. "Why doesn't she come in, then? Of course she must come in." And she ran out to the door of the carriage, with Max not far behind. "Aren't you coming in? They've taken your patient upstairs," she said gently, as poor Carrie, who looked more dead than alive, sat up in the carriage and tried to put her hat and her cape straight. "Oh, I shan't be wanted now, shall I?" asked Carrie, with a timid voice and manner which contrasted strongly with her calm, easy assurance while she was at work. Max threw a glance of gratitude at his sister, as he quickly opened the door of the carriage and more than half dragged Carrie out. As the girl stepped, blinking, into the broad sunlight, Doreen stared at her intently, and then glanced inquiringly at her brother, who, however, did not see her questioning look. He led Carrie into the house and straight up the stairs toward the room where they had put Dudley. "Don't make me stay," pleaded she, in a low voice. "They will know I'm not a regular nurse, and--and I shall be uncomfortable, miserable. You can do without me now." She was trying to shrink away. Max stopped in the middle of the stairs, and answered her gravely, earnestly: "I only ask you to stay until we can get a regular nurse down. He is too ill to do without a trained attendant; you know that. Will you promise to wait while we send for one?" Carrie could scarcely refuse. "Yes, I will stay till then, if I am really wanted," assented she. "Ask my sister. Here she comes," said Max. Doreen was on the stairs behind them.