Without knowing in the least why, she felt uncomfortable.
"Why do you say "after all"?"
"I merely meant that his sister told me she was afraid it might be that. One of their housemaids had it."
"Yes, that is so. There"s enough of it about."
She wanted to inquire how the old man was, but she could not bring herself to continue the subject with a person who somehow made her feel that her questions were superfluous, if not actually impertinent. She watched him fit a slide into his huge microscope, entirely absorbed by the matter in hand. Patients as human beings meant nothing to him.
Two days later the thing occurred which altered her whole mode of life.
She was aware that something had happened when she arrived as usual in the morning, for Jacques, who met her in the hall, had a somewhat mysterious and wholly ironical manner.
"Ah, mademoiselle, what have I told you? Did I not say it would be so?"
"Say what? What do you mean?"
"Did I not say he was what you call fed up?"
"Jacques, what are you talking about?"
He shrugged his shoulders and shook his head.
"Go in there; you will soon know. He is waiting to speak to you."
Considerably puzzled, she tapped on the consulting-room door and was bidden to come in. As she did so, the doctor looked up from what seemed an unusual confusion on his desk, and as his gaze encountered hers she thought that the dull heaviness of his demeanour was oddly lightened by a spark of something she could not define.
"Ah, Miss Rowe, you see me about to make a rather sudden change. The fact is I have been persuaded to put aside my practice for a short time--I can"t say exactly how long it will be--and during the interval to act as private physician to Sir Charles Clifford."
Frankly taken by surprise, Esther could at first only exclaim, "No, really!" and wait for him to go on. Whatever had induced him to do this? She reflected that the Cliffords must have offered him a good deal of money.
"I have arranged with a colleague to take over my practice for the next few weeks," the doctor continued, busy sorting papers as he spoke.
"Although naturally my patients can please themselves about going to him. He is a competent man. Needless to say Sir Charles will make it worth my while, and for the rest I badly need a holiday. The change will do me good."
So this was why he looked more cheerful. Even a machine needs a rest once in a while. Then Esther thought of that other work of his, the research of which he seemed never to tire.
"What about your experiments?" she ventured.
"I shall be able to s.n.a.t.c.h a couple of hours now and then," he replied.
"But of course I must resign myself to giving up really serious work in the laboratory until the case is finished. It is regrettable, for, as you know, I am in the midst of that series of tests in regard to the anti-toxin for teta.n.u.s. Every week I lose increases the chance of some other fellow"s finding it; there are a number of experimenters hot on the trail. However, it can"t be helped." He sighed and added to himself, "You can"t have it both ways."
It now occurred to Esther to inquire how this alteration of plans affected her.
"Then I suppose, doctor, you won"t be wanting me for the next month or so?"
"I was coming to that. No, I shall not; and I don"t know that it would be worth my while to pay you to stay on while I have nothing for you to do."
"Oh, no, naturally. I understand."
"If, however, you still wish to remain in Cannes, I have an offer to make you. There is an English nurse looking after Sir Charles, but he is going to require another. Perhaps you"d care to take on the job of day-nurse to him?"
It was a second surprise.
"Oh! Would they like me to come?"
"It was Miss Clifford"s suggestion. I believe from what she said to me she took a liking to you when she saw you here the other day."
The detached tone in which he made this observation implied that such a thing as taking a liking to a person did certainly exist and therefore must be scientifically recognised, incredible as it might appear.
The image of the simple, friendly eyed, north-country woman flashed across Esther"s mental vision, obscuring the less comprehensible figure of her sister-in-law. She thought for a moment.
"Why, yes, if you like, I"ll be glad to come," she agreed.
The doctor raised a corrective hand. "It"s if _you_ like," he amended.
"I can get another nurse from the British Nursing Home in an hour"s time, it is all the same to me. If you come, however, they will pay you at the rate usual in your country--more than an English nurse gets, as you know."
"I wasn"t thinking of the money," declared Esther hastily and with truth. "I was only wondering ... but it doesn"t matter. I"ll come.
When do you want me?"
"At once. How soon can you be ready?"
"Oh, I can be ready in an hour or so. I"ve only to pack my things and settle my hotel bill."
"Very well, try to get to the house before lunch. I will telephone to say you are coming. Here is the address."
He scrawled it on a slip of paper and handed it to her, instantly turning his whole attention to something else in the way he had when a matter was concluded. It was exactly like shutting a door in one"s face, she thought with rueful amus.e.m.e.nt. In another minute she had left the house and was on her way back to her hotel.
In the little lobby she met Miss Paull, just drawing on a pair of black gloves preparatory to setting off on a ramble.
"And what are you doing here at this hour?" she greeted Esther cheerfully, curiously beaming in every line of her rather n.o.ble face.
Esther explained hurriedly.
"How extremely odd! The very people we were discussing the other day.
And you say your doctor is giving up his entire practice to devote himself to Sir Charles? They _must_ have money to burn. I wonder what you will think of them. I wonder if the son is there? Such a nice-looking boy he was. I used to see him often. And the beautiful French wife--you must tell me what she is like, to know, that is. Of course she _looks_ like something on the films, doesn"t she?"
Esther a.s.sented, anxious to get away.
"I should like to know what she was doing in that dirty little jeweller"s shop, going into the back room and all," mused the spinster regretfully. "Well--good luck to you!"
Esther smiled to herself as she got into the tiny lift. Miss Paull extracted so much enjoyment out of life from inventing mysteries out of simple things. What a pity she could not be in her, Esther"s, place!
What capital she would have made out of her opportunities!
It was with a slight feeling of excitement that two hours later she toiled in a creaking taxi up to the steep streets of Cannes, her hat-box and neat dressing-bag reposing on the seat beside her, her small trunk in front. What luck, she reflected, to have brought her uniforms along! She had not really thought she would need them. A thin rain fell, but the sky showed signs of breaking, and the raindrops sparkled on the thick green foliage of the trees and added beauty to the feathery sprays of mimosa wherever it raised its yellow plumage.
The town left behind, villa after villa came into view, many half-hidden in greenery. The drive seemed a longish one, but of course a good car would have done it in half the time....
How strange to think that the very first woman who had in any way impressed her in Cannes should now be employing her to nurse her husband! It was a good thing Lady Clifford had never recognised her; no doubt if she had done so she would have thought twice about engaging her services.
Ah, here it was, the Villa Firenze--a s.p.a.cious, even imposing mansion of pinkish brick, the front covered in wistaria. Acacias shut off the well-kept garden from the road and bordered the drive, a circular one, the approach terminating in wide, shallow stone steps, flanked by carved stone baskets of fruit. While she was paying the taxi, the door opened and a manservant, English, with spa.r.s.e grey hair and a pleasant wooden face, came out and took her bag and hat-box.