“I thought I might help,” said Florence. “I don’t want to play with the others.” “No, run away to the nursery.” “I want to see the ossygen let out,” said Florence petulantly to her mother’s unsympathetic back. “I _never_ see the ossygen let out. Mum—my!...” Lady Harman found her husband on the couch in his bedroom. He was propped up in a sitting position with every available cushion and pillow. His coat and waistcoat and collar had been taken off, and his shirt and vest torn open. The nearest doctor, Almsworth, was in attendance, but oxygen had not arrived, and Sir Isaac with an expression of bitter malignity upon his face was fighting desperately for breath. If anything his malignity deepened at the sight of his wife. “Damned climate,” he gasped. “Wouldn’t have come back—except for _your_ foolery.” It seemed to help him to say that. He took a deep inhalation, pressed his lips tightly together, and nodded at her to confirm his words. “If he’s fanciful,” said Almsworth. “If in any way your presence irritates him——” “Let her stay,” said Sir Isaac. “It—pleases her....” Almsworth’s colleague entered with the long-desired oxygen cylinder. §7 And now every other interest in life was dominated, and every other issue postponed by the immense urgencies of Sir Isaac’s illness. It had entered upon a new phase. It was manifest that he could no longer live in England, that he must go to some warm and kindly climate. There and with due precautions and observances Almsworth assured Lady Harman he might survive for many years—“an invalid, of course, but a capable one.” For some time the business of the International Stores had been preparing itself for this withdrawal. Sir Isaac had been entrusting his managers with increased responsibility and making things ready for the flotation of a company that would take the whole network of enterprises off his hands. Charterson was associated with him in this, and everything was sufficiently definite to be managed from any continental resort to which his doctors chose to send him. They chose to send him to Santa Margherita on the Ligurian coast near Rapallo and Porto Fino.