Then he excused his disinclination to leave by telling himself that perhaps it would be as well for him to remain until it was time to remove the splints and bandages, and besides, he really did not like to go on without Tillinghast, who was such a pleasant travelling companion, but who seemed to be especially devoted to Miss Savage and strangely indifferent to the attractions of Italy. CHAPTER XIX. MRS. AND MISS ROCHESTER RECEIVE STARTLING NEWS. Mrs. Rochester continued to improve daily. She had been in perfect health at the time of her accident, and so suffered no inconvenience from it other than that caused by the temporary uselessness of her arm. But this she could very cheerfully submit to, since she believed it was serving to lure the handsome and wealthy Dr. Winthrop into the matrimonial net from which he had so nearly escaped. He came every day to visit her, whether her wound needed dressing or not, and always remained for a social chat afterward. Sometimes Miss Rochester was present, but often she was absent, or she would occasionally come in before he left for a few moments. She always greeted him with perfect frankness and without the slightest embarrassment or self-consciousness. It almost seemed as if she had forgotten that marriage between them had ever been thought of, and only remembered that he was her friend. All this was very pleasant to the unsuspecting physician, who did not dream that it tended toward a dangerous pitfall laid for his unwary feet; that Mrs. Rochester was only adroitly alluring him with her charming conversation and manifestations of friendliness; that her daughter was simply piquing his interest by purposely absenting herself from his presence, and only occasionally permitting him to bask in the sunlight of her smiles and fascinating society. It is not strange that Dr. Winthrop eagerly availed himself of anything that would serve to distract his mind from his own mental suffering, and really it would have been hard to find two women more calculated to make a man forget his trouble, for their tact and resources were boundless. Upon two or three occasions he had invited Miss Rochester to join him with his friend and Miss Savage on excursions to different points of interest, but she invariably declined with thanks, telling him with her sweetest smile that she could not feel comfortable to leave mamma; perhaps when she was better and able to go out again she would be glad to avail herself of his kind offer to act as their escort, if—he was still in Paris. He thought it was very lovely in her to be so devoted to her mother—a step-mother at that—and did not once suspect that she was only cunningly angling for the fish which she was determined to land, if possible, high and dry upon the shores of matrimony.