PROFESSOR MILLER CONSULTED. 471 



it; therefore you and I will go up by the 12 o'clock 

 coach, and make an appointment with Professor Miller 

 to come down here/ When Mr Miller returned, he 

 mentioned that he had a funeral to attend at two o'clock, 

 and would go to Edinburgh by the 12 o'clock coach. 

 She told him that she and Miss Miller, having some- 

 thing to do in town, were to go at the same time. He 

 inquired particularly what was their errand, and Mrs 

 Miller, ' acting under a stern and inexorable necessity/ 

 put him off with the statement that they wished to see 

 a picture then being exhibited in Prince's Street. The 

 picture was there, they wished to see it, and they 

 actually did so on this occasion ; but the principal 

 object of their trip to town remained unseen in the 

 background. Professor Miller, 'with his usual quick 

 decisive kindness/ said, ' I'll be down to-morrow at three 

 o'clock/ Mrs Miller arranged that Dr Balfour should 

 come at the same hour. 



When she returned home, she found her husband 

 already there, resting on the sofa in the dining-room. 

 He told her what he had been doing since they parted, 

 dwelling especially on the precautions which he was 

 using to avoid taking cold. In return, he wanted to 

 know exactly what his wife and daughter had been 

 about in town. ' We saw the picture, as we intended/ 

 ' Nothing else ? ' Was that really your chief business ? ' 

 Mrs Miller saw that a suspicion of the true state of 

 affairs had crossed his mind. She feared his serious 

 displeasure, and thought it possible that, if not treated 

 with frankness, he might keep out of the way and defeat 

 her main aim. W^ith hesitation, therefore, and placing 

 her hand on his forehead, ' Don't/ she said, ' be dis- 

 pleased. I went likewise to Professor Miller to ask him 

 to come and see you. He is to come at three to-morrow. 



