December 21, 1895. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
259 
know where you can have been living not to have 
heard of me ! Really, it is quite surprising. But to 
explain my visit : a patient of mine, Lady Bewdley, 
has been taken ill, and I want someone to nurse her; 
sit up with her at night and so on. Now, she will 
not have a professional nurse. Prejudice, you 
know, prejudice. So I came here thinking it would 
be just the thing for you as you are poor, and don't 
get enough to eat from the look of you. You see, you 
will have a guineaa week and all found ; with nothing 
to do but attend to her ladyship and obey my orders ; 
mark that, obey my orders. So put on your hat, get 
your brush and comb and come with me at once. 
No time like the present, you know. I can explain 
the case as we drive along.” 
The doctor was too busy with his handkerchief 
while making this speech to notice the effect it was 
having upon the girl. She had flushed at the 
mention of her poverty : but, as he continued, the 
pallor once more returned, the brows contracted 
ominously, and the lips were firmly compressed. 
She waited until he had finished speaking; then, 
resuming her seat at the window, said in a low 
determined voice : “ You have evidently made a mis¬ 
take and come to the wrong house. I am not a 
nurse ; I am an artist. ” 
Dr. Curum was so taken aback that he looked 
very undignified ; his jaw dropped, his eyes looked 
ready to start from his head, and he forgot to mop 
his face, so that the perspiration trickled uninter¬ 
ruptedly down his fat cheeks on to his white waistcoat. 
He was so accustomed to hat ing his own way in 
everything, and he had arranged about this girl 
coming so entirely to his own satisfaction, that it 
never entered into his calculation she might make 
any objection. 
Having somewhat recovered himself he returned 
to the charge. " But, my dear young lady, I don't 
want a nurse—her ladyship won’t have a nurse. I 
told you so. I only want you to sit with her, give 
her nourishment, and so on. It is quite simple — 
quite. Come, run and put your hat on.” 
” I have given you my answer,” replied Eiley, as 
she continued laying the colours upon her canvas. 
“ Fiddlesticks! ” cried the irate little doctor. 
“ It is quarrelling with your bread, that’s what it is. 
Will you think it over, and let me know this even¬ 
ing ? I will give you until nine o’clock to consider.’’ 
” I am anx : ous to finish this picture before the 
light goes, and you hinder me. Good afternoon ” 
There was no mistaking the tone, so the doctor 
took his departure, anathematizing the whole of the 
fair sex from Eve down to Eiley Deane. Neverthe¬ 
less, in his sore perplexity, he went to one of the sex 
for advice, viz., Mrs. Andrews, who, when she had 
heard particulars of the interview, saw at once where 
the difficulty lay, and said she would go and see Miss 
Deane. 
" Poor girl ! ” she said to her husband as she was 
pu'ting on her bonnet. "lam afraid he hurt her 
feelings. She has a proud spirit, and cannot bear to 
have her poverty mentioned.” I know not what 
arguments the good soul used with the young artist; 
but she evidently succeeded in “ pouring ” oil upon 
the troubled waters, for at eight o'clock the same 
evening Eiley Deane was installed at Bewdley 
Manor as sick nurse to Lady Bewdley. 
CHAPTER II. 
The Patient. 
Lady Bewdley was asleep when Eiley entered her 
room, so she took a chair, sat near the bed and 
studied the face of her patient. It was a handsome 
face but not a pleasing one. The features were 
regular and well defined ; the brows dark, straight, 
and finely pencilled ; the mouth small, with very thin 
lips which had a cruel expression ; or so Eiley 
thought. She seemed troubled as if dreaming; 
every few minutes she would start up with a half- 
suppressed cry, then fall back and sleep again. 
When Eiley had watched for about an hour the 
sleeper gave a violent start and awakened with a 
look of horror in her face. 
If Eiley had disliked the expression of her mouth, 
she was certainly not prepossessed in favour of the 
eyes now they were unveiled. They were very 
large and of the lightest possible gray ; dilated pupils 
and a dark circle round the iris ; handsome eyes but 
like the mouth, cruel. She looked angry when she 
saw Eiley sitting by her side. 
" Who are you ?” she demanded sharply. “ I do 
not like strangers. What do you want here ?” 
"My name is Eiley Deane, Lady Bewdley. Dr. 
Curum sent me here to take care of you during your 
illness. Let me arrange your pillows more com¬ 
fortably." 
“ No !—do not touch me. How dare he send you ? 
I told him I would not have a nurse." 
She spoke so excitedly, Eiley was afraid the 
haemorrhage would come on again. ” I am not a 
nurse,” she said softly. “I know very little about 
sickness. Dr. Curum only wants me to give you 
nourishment regularly, and do any little thing I can 
to ease your pain.” 
The gray eyes were fixed upon her as she spoke, 
with a keen glance which seemed to read her very 
thoughts and take in every detail of her appearance. 
A smile passed over her face as she noticed the 
nervous way in which the girl spoke 
“ You can remain. I do not think I shall object to 
you ; but we may as well understand each other at 
once. I dislike being watched. That is why 1 will 
not have a regular nurse; they are all spies. Never 
sit by me as you were doing just now, when I sleep : 
you can lie upon the sofa at the other end of the 
room, and I will call you when I want you. Then 
there is another thing I had better mention as you 
do not know anything about sickness. This illness 
has weakened me greatly, and when people are very 
weak they are apt to talk in their sleep, but there is 
no sense in what they say ; it is all imagination. So 
if I talk in my sleep you are to take no notice of 
what I say. Sick people talk all sorts of nonsense. 
And do not trouble the doctor about it, for it is 
simply weakness and of no consequence whatever. 
Do you understand me, girl ?" 
“ Yes, Lady Bewdley, I understand. It is time for 
your beef-tea now.” 
The invalid drank the tea, then said : "That will 
do. Now go and lie down upon the sofa ; and do 
not talk so much, you make my head-ache !” 
Eiley thought this remark somewhat unjust, in¬ 
asmuch as it was Lady Bewdley herself who had 
been doing the talking. She took up her position 
upon the sofa at the end of the room and was soon 
lost in a reverie, which was not a particularly happy 
one to judge from the sad look upon the pale face. 
She was aroused by the sharp Voice of the invalid 
inquiring angrily ; " What are you staring at me like 
that for? If you are going to spy upon me you had 
better go !” 
” I beg your pardon, Lady Bewdley. I did not 
know I was looking towards you It was quite un¬ 
intentional on my part. I was thinking of some¬ 
thing else.” 
” Do not make long speeches, please,” said the 
invalid, rudely. "Turn your back towards me; 
then I shall be sure I am not being watched.” 
Eiley did as she was requested and there was 
complete silence for some hours, only broken by the 
mutterings of the sleeper, and the rain pattering 
against the windows. Eiley had often sat up, night 
after uight, with her father in his last illness, but had 
never experienced the nervous feeling which 
possessed her on this night. The gray eyes of the 
invalid seemed to haunt her : she felt as if they were 
fixed upon her, piercing her through. She longed to 
look round but dare not for fear of giving offence a 
second time. 
As the Dight wore on, this feeling grew in intensity ; 
and when the clock struck twelve she could bear it 
no longer, so looked round. 
Lady Bewdley was sitting up in bed pointing 
across the room. The same look of horror upon her 
face that Eiley had seen before. She did not seem 
to notice Eiley, who went towards her, fearing she 
was worse ; but still pointed across the room, and 
whispered in a hoarse voice : " There, there it is ; do 
you not see ? ” 
Eiley, trying to conquer the unaccountable, 
nervous feeling so foreign to her, answered softly, 
” What is it, dear Lady Bewdley ? There is nothing 
to be seen.” 
“Yes, there, by the curtain. It is he ! Can you 
not see ? He always comes every night: and so pale, 
so very pale !” 
“ Really there is no one in the room but our¬ 
selves,” said Eiley. 
The invalid apparently did not hear, for repeating 
the words, “ So pale, so very pale !” she sank gently 
back upon the pillows; her eyes closed, the face re¬ 
laxed, and she slept quietly, holding Eiley’s hand, 
which she had taken unconsciously. 
The poor girl stood thus by the bedside for a short 
time, wondering what would happen next, and 
sincerely wishing herself back again in the little 
thatched cottage. She thought of the invalid’s 
words and her fancy of having seen someone in the 
room. What could it all mean ? Was her brain 
affected ? 
Thinking thus, she glanced again at the curtain to 
which Lady Bewdley had pointed. She felt her 
blood run cold. “ It must be a delusion," thought 
the girl, passing her hand across her eyes. No !— 
there it was, standing before the curtain—the man 
with the pale face ! Yes, there was no mistake about 
it ; it was too plain ; she could distinguish every 
feature—a very tall man with a pale, stern face and 
dark eyes! 
Poor Eiley trembled in every limb she closed her 
eyes and thought she was going to faint. 
The clock struck one. She glanced affrightedly 
across the room again. The figure had gone ! 
How the remainder of the night passed, Eiley 
scarcely knew. But all things come to an end, and 
the rosy morn discovered her looking paler than she 
was the day previous, and the brown eyes darker 
and larger. She had made up her mind not to 
mention the apparition to anyone. 
After the doctor had been in the morning Eiley 
was to have the remainder of the day pretty well to 
herself, as Lady Bewdley only required her at night, 
the lady's maid attending to her during the day, 
unless her ladyship should happen to feel worse ; 
then, of course, Eiley would be called to her. 
When she found herself at liberty Eiley went out 
into the gardens, for the house seemed to stifle her 
after the terrible night she had passed in it. She 
hurried along, too absorbed by her thoughts to 
notice the beauties of the grounds through which 
she passed on and on, without any idea as to 
destination. Fast as the little feet flew, the thoughts 
of the owner of the little feet flew faster. 
“ What shall I do ? This place seems unbearable. 
Is Lady Bewdley mad ? Or has she—no, no ; 1 
dare not think that! It is only weakness, as she 
said ; there was no meaning in her words. Why have 
I taken such a dislike to her ? She has never 
done me any harm. I would Dot have believed 
I could be so foolish. You are not yourself, Eiley 
Deane ! It is very wrong of you to dislike a person 
just because her features do not happen to please 
you. And to be nervous—indeed ! Are you not 
ashamed of >ourself? Did you ever see a ghost 
be f ore ? You know you never did ; how c mid you ? 
inasmuch as they do not belong to this world. How 
could your corporeal eyes see a spirit ? You know 
very well it was only your imagination, excited by 
the conduct of Lady Bewdley. It is cowardly on 
your part to wish to leave ; and, besides, did you not 
take the post because you wanted the money 
towards paying your father’s debts ? So no more of 
th s nonsense ; just make up your mind to do your 
duty, and do not harbour ridiculous ideas in your 
head ! ” 
Eiley thus mentally reprimanded herself as she 
walked rapidly along. 
Turning the corner of a thick shrubbery through 
which she was passing, she ran unceremoniously into 
the arms of a gentleman who was strolling leisurely 
along, smoking. She came with such force against 
him that he dropped his cigar and her hat slipped off. 
“ I beg your pardon, Miss Deane. I did not see 
you coming, the shrubs are so thick. I hope you 
are not hurt ? ” The stranger spoke in a low amused 
tone, as he stooped to pick up the fallen hat and 
handed it to Eiley. 
Eiley did not answer ; she took her hat from him 
mechanically and stared in astonishment, for, in the 
person of this stranger, she saw her ” apparition ” of 
the night before ! However, she was in no doubt as 
to whether he was a spirit or not, when she remem¬ 
bered the collision ! 
“I am afraid you are startled, but really you 
came round that corner so unexpectedly that you 
gave me no time to announce my presence.” 
Recovering from her surprise, Eiley blushed 
vividly and stammered, " I beg your pardon You 
must think me very rude for not apologising at once, 
but 1 thought you were a-oh, some one else ! 
Do you live here ? ” 
Before he could answer a servant made his 
appearance. “ Luncheon is served, my lord.” 
“ Very well, John. We shall be in directly.” 
When the man had retired, Eiley said, " I thought. 
Lady Bewdley was a widow.” 
