“She has a sort of hysterical affection. She goes ‘Bupp, bupp,’ like a turkey-cock and swells at the throat. At least that is what I thought, but I am very backward at present. Some one asked her the cause once, when I was there, and she said she had no such habit, the mistake was ours. It is all very bewildering.” “Are there any other members of the family?” “Her dear mother! Such a nice creature, and quite a believer; she has gall-stones.” “Gall-stones!” “Not really, you know, they pass with prayer. She looks ill, very ill sometimes, but of course that is another of my mistakes. I am having absent treatment now.” “They know where you are?” Gabriel asked, perhaps a little anxiously. “Oh! dear, yes. I am never out of touch with them.” After she had retired for the night, for notwithstanding her immunity from fatigue and pain, she retired early, explaining that she wanted to put her things in order, Gabriel lingered to tell Margaret again what an angel she was, and of his gratitude to her for the way she was receiving and making much of his sister. “I like doing it, she interests me. I suppose she really believes in it all.” “I think so. You see her illness is partly nervous, partly her spine, but still to a certain extent, nervous. She is undoubtedly better since she had this hobby. The only thing that worries me is this family of whom she speaks, these Roopes. Of course they will get everything she has out of her, every penny. If it only stops at that....” “You have seen them?” “Not yet. I hear the man is an emaciated idler, not over-clean, his wife has evidently a bad form of St. Vitus’s dance. The woman leads them all, the old mother, all of them. I expect they live upon what she makes. I’ve heard a story or two ... I had not realized about this absent treatment, that Anne tells them where she goes. You don’t mind?” “Why should I mind?” “She may have told them I come here....” “Oh! that! I had forgotten.” It was true, she had forgotten that she must walk circumspectly. She had spoken of and forgotten it. Now she remembered, because he reminded her; reddened and wished she had not invited Anne. Anne, with her undesirable acquaintances and meandering talk, who would keep her and Gabriel company on their walks and drives for the next two days. But Providence, or a broken chain in the sequence of the Roope Christian Science treatment, came to her aid. On Saturday Anne was prostrated with headache. “She has never been able to bear a railway journey.” “Does she explain?” “I went in to see her. ‘If only I had faith enough,’ she moaned, and asked me to send Mrs. Roope a telegram. I persuaded her to five grains of aspirin, but I could see she felt very guilty about it. She will sleep until the afternoon.” “We can leave her?” “Oh, yes! I doubt if she will be well awake by dinner, certainly not before.” “Let us get away from here, from Carbies and Pineland....”