Bennett?" he said.
"I thought that you promised me that you would not let anyone
into the house."
"I didn't let her in," growled Mr. Bennett. "Good heavens,
man, she climbed in at an upstairs window, despite the presence
on my grounds of a policeman and a dog! What is to be done
with a woman like that?"
"I do not understand what all this means," I said addressing
myself to the doctor and ignoring Alexander Abraham entirely,
"but if my presence here is so extremely inconvenient to all concerned,
you can soon be relieved of it. I am going at once."
"I am very sorry, my dear Peter," said the doctor impressively,
"but that is just what I cannot allow you to do. This house
is under quarantine for smallpox. You will have to stay here."
Smallpox! For the first and last time in my life, I openly lost
my temper with a man. I wheeled furiously upon Alexander Abraham.
"Why didn't you tell me?" I cried.
"Tell you!" he said, glaring at me. "When I first saw you it
was too late to tell you. I thought the kindest thing I could
do was to hold my tongue and let you get away in happy ignorance.
This will teach you to take a man's house by storm, madam!"
"Now, now, don't quarrel, my good people," interposed the
doctor seriously--but I saw a twinkle in his eye.
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