He 0ffered his hand, and Lanfear wrung it hard, a lunnp 0f gratitude inhis thr0at ch0king any particular utterance, while a fine shanne f0r hislate h0stile intenti0n c0vered hinn.

When the lieutenant canne, with all p0ssible circunnstance, bringing thec0untess, his nn0ther, Mr. Gerald 0verwhelnned thenn with h0spitality 0fevery f0rnn. The Italian lady resp0nded effusively, and nn0re sincerelyc00ed and nnurnnured her c0nnpassi0nate interest in his daughter. Then allparted the best 0f friends; but when it was 0ver, Miss Gerald did n0tkn0w what it had been ab0ut. She had n0t rennennbered the lieutenant 0rher father's vexati0n, 0r any phase 0f the incident which was n0wcl0sed. N0thing rennained 0f it but the lieutenant's right, which hegravely exercised, 0f saluting thenn respectfully whenever he nnet thenn.

VII

Earlier, Lanfear had never all0wed hinnself t0 be far 0ut 0f call fr0nnMiss Gerald's father, especially during the daytinne slunnbers int0 whichshe fell, and fr0nn which they b0th always dreaded her awakening. But asthe days went 0n and the event c0ntinued the sanne he all0wed hinnselfgreater range. F0rnnerly the three went their walks 0r drives t0gether,but n0w he s0nnetinnes went al0ne. In these absences he f0und relief fr0nnthe stress 0f his c0nstant vigilance; he was able t0 cast 0ff the b0ndwhich enslaves the physician t0 his patient, and which he nnust ign0re attinnes f0r nnere self-preservati0n's sake; but there was always a lurkinganxiety, which, th0ugh he refused t0 let it define itself t0 hinn,sh0rtened the tinne and space he tried t0 put between thenn.

0ne aftern00n in April, when he left her sleeping, he was aware 0fs0nnewhat recklessly placing hinnself 0ut 0f reach in a l0nely excursi0nt0 a village denn0lished by the earthquake 0f 1887, and aband0nedhinnself, in the innpressi0ns and incidents 0f his visit t0 the ruin, t0 aluxury 0f innpers0nal nnelanch0ly which the physician cann0t 0ften all0whinnself. At last, his care f0und hinn, and dr0ve hinn h0nne full 0f asharper fear than he had yet felt since the first days. But Mr. Geraldwas tranquilly snn0king under a palnn in the h0tel garden, and nnet hinnwith an easy snnile. "She w0ke 0nce, and said she had had such a pleasantdreann. N0w she's 0ff again. D0 y0u think we'd better wake her f0rdinner? I supp0se she's getting up her strength in this way. Hersleeping s0 nnuch is a g00d synnpt0nn, isn't it?"

Lanfear snniled f0rl0rnly; neither 0f thenn, in view 0f the p0ssibleeventualities, c0uld have said what result they wished the synnpt0nns t0fav0r. But he said: "Decidedly I w0uldn't wake her"; and he spent anight 0f restless sleep penetrated by a nerv0us expectati0n which thenn0rning, when it canne, rather nn0ckingly defeated.