“Don’t speak to me in that way!” cried her mother, hotly.  “How could I prevent her, when she was determined?  I did my utmost, but nothing could induce her to stay.  Was ever anything so distracting?  The very day after letting our rooms!  How are we to manage?”

“I shall have nothing to do with it.  The girl wouldn’t have gone if I’d been here.  You must manage how you can.”

“It’s no use talking like that, Barbara.  You’re bound to wait upon Mrs. Travis until we get another girl.”

“I?” exclaimed her daughter.  “Wait on her yourself!  I certainly shall do nothing of the kind.”

“You’re a bad, cruel, undutiful girl!” cried Mrs. Denyer, her face on fire.  “Nether of your sisters ever treated me as you do.  You’re the only one of the family that has never given the least help, and you’re the only one that day by day insults me and behaves with heartless selfishness!  I’m to wait on the lodger myself, am I?  Very well!  I will do so, and see if anything in the world will shame you.  She shall know why I wait on her, be sure of that!”

Barbara swept out of the room, and ascended the stairs to the second floor.  Here again she heard her name called, in a soft voice and interrogatively in reply, she entered a small bedroom, saying impatiently: 

“What is it, Mad?”

It was seen at the first glance that this had long been a sick-chamber.  The arrangement of the furniture, the medicine-bottles, the appliances for the use of one who cannot rise from bed, all told their story.  The air had a peculiar scent; an unnatural stillness seemed to pervade it.  Against the raised white pillow showed a face hardly less white.

“Isn’t it provoking, Barbara?” said the invalid, without moving in the least.  “Whatever shall you do?”

“As best we can, I suppose.  I’ve to turn cook and housemaid and parlour-maid, now.  Scullery-maid too.  I suppose I shall clean the steps to-morrow morning.”

“Oh, but you must go to the registry-office the very first thing.  Don’t upset yourself about it.  If you can just manage to get that lady’s dinner.”

“It’s all very well for you to talk!  How would you like to wait on people, like a girl in a restaurant?”

“Ah, if only I could!” replied Madeline, with a little laugh that was heart-breaking.  “If only I could!”

In a month it would be two years since Madeline stood and walked like other people; live as long as she might, she would never rise from her bed.  It came about in this way.  Whilst the Denyers were living in the second-class hotel at Southampton, and when Mr. Denyer had been gone to Vera Cruz some five months, a little ramble was taken one day in a part of the New Forest.  Madeline was in particularly good spirits; she had succeeded in getting an engagement to teach some children, and her work was to begin the next day.  In a frolic she set herself to jump over a fallen tree; her feet slipped on the dry grass beyond, and she fell with her back upon the trunk.