MISS PHIPPS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 18763, 17 July 1924, Page 3

MISS PHIPPS.

BY. KATHERINE TYNAN.

(Copyright.)

CHAPTER IX.—(Continued). Miss Phipps sighed, one of her queer low sighs, and went out, closing the door softly behind her. For a moment Delia felt as if she was going to be ill, then

shook 06" the absurd idea. Argus, released, came back to his place on the rug, with a sigh as though the weight of the world had been rolled from his "breast by tho going of Miss Phipps. Delia switched off the lights and gofc into bed. A moment later she switched them on again and locked the door and the door of the sitting-room, bhe could not have told why she did such a thing, she had never slept with a locked door. The bathroom had no door into the corridor. She inspected the balcony, which she had not done before. It was closed at cither end. It was a lovely night, with the moon riding high} there was tho sound of a waterfall that was somewhere out of sight, but not of hearing. As Bhe went back to bed she asked heirself if she was growing nervy. Why should she be depressed by Miss Phipps ? It must bo the effect of her experience in the Wasserberg. That really had been very horrible. She did not dara to think now of what might have happened to her if God had not sent her a Knight. And those splendid sailora ! How wonderful it had all been ! To-morrow she was going to write to her Knight. Some time surely, they would meet again. He had spoken of knowing the Pierponts. But for the moment it was sufficient joy to think of their having met, and the letter she would write to-morrow. With such thoughts she braced herself.

Sho almost got up and unlocked the door; it was so cowardly to have locked it. With Argus for company and protection too I She could not possibly be scared of a little woman like Miss Phipps, a big hefty creature like her 1

Before she could make up her mind to unlock the door she was asleep.

She awoko to intense darkness and the sound of Argus growling, a bass undertone to the song of the waterfall which she had found so sleepy last night. She heard rather than saw Argils going stealthily towards the door. Someone was turning the handle gently. She jumped out of bed, fumbled for the electric pwitch and turned it on flooding the room with light. For a moment she could not remember where she was

and her heart was beating hard, thump-

in;? against her 6ide. She looked rcni:d Uie rooin nonderingly, then t'a-a sleep left her eyes and brain. "Who is there?" sh© asked, without opening the door. Tl ere was no answer. Was it possible that Christopher Talbot was ill and help was needed ? She waited for a few seconds before she opened the door, letting Argus pas 3 out first into the darkness. There was no one there. Argus came back, still growling to himself, the hair on his spine lifted. If he was going to behave like that! Delia remembered Lizzie Burke's old dog, Michael Murphy, an Irish terrier with an uncanny way of seeing ghosts. She would be bettor without Argus, il he too saw ghosts. She had locked the (Joor in a violent hurry as though she would shut something out. It required' an' effort of will to switch off the light before she got into bed again. Then she lay staring at the darkness till the song of waterfall made her drowsy and she fell asleep to its lul'iaby, as the first streaks of rose and amber came in tha Eastern sky. She slept then till she heard Esther's voice asking if she might come in.

Esther had brought her morning cup of tea. It was a lovely morning: the air wa3 full of tho scent of flowers and the coolness of tho waterfall.

" The waterfall didn't keep yon awake, miss ?" Esther asked, settling Delia comfortably in bed with pillows behind her to have her tea. Esther was very comfortablo in this house where the happenings began to be uncanny.

" No it put me asleep," she answered, thinking how much she liked Esther's face, dark,, with white teeth and brown eyes; very thick dark eyebrows which seemed somehow to give a special character to the face, a background to its brightness. "That's right you do look bonny this morning, miss. You've done the poor master no end of good already."' "Then he's not worse this morning," Delia said with relief. " Miss Phipps thought last night—*—" " Never you mind what she thought, dearie. He s had a night. _ More than she's had layin' on her bed in her dressin'-gownd. Sne'll want some sleep to-day, I expect. What would your company do him but good ? Isn't he lost for something pleasant?"

" I was a little disturbed in the night," said Delia, and went on to tell her tale. ] " It might be her," said Esther. " She j has a habit of creepin' about at night. | Wants to see if people are in their rooms, I expect. She got used to disturbed nights, she says, m the war. Thought maybe she'd see if you was awake and inclined for talk. Or brought a cup o' tea maybe. I never saw such a one for makin' cups o' tea." That might be it, the simple harmless explanation of the turning of the doorhandle in the night. "Or it might have caught," said Esther, " when you closed it, and cams free in the night. I've known door-han-dles to do that before now. Same with bells. Some foolish girls will think it's a death if the bell rings without anyone pullin' the handle. It nave happened to me an' none died and I've been in a house where the gentleman's picture fell down and he's alive to this day.' She went into the bathroom and turned on the bath. Then came back to Delia. *' You'll find hot towels to your hand," she said. " will be in the dinin'-room at nine o'clock. You'll have it alone, yon won't fret that Miss Phipps has hers in her room." She brought Delia's dressing-gown and slippers. ... ' " You don't know how good it is to have something young to make much of in this house," she said. 44 I'd ii£e children in the house myself. There would have been like enough—the master's and Miss Mary's—if it hadn't been for the war.' We all looked for a marriage before the war." She went off, shaking her head sadly. Presently Esther would tell her more. Delia had a sensitive shyness about asking questions. She wanted to know about Miss Mary and Cousin Christopher but sho xnusf, not ask questions. There was a letter for Miss Phipps on the hall table. Delia the diningroom to go upstairs had noticed it, and after a second's hesitation took it with her to deliver to the owner. She remembered that Miss Phipps* room was next door to the Dragon Room. She went down to the end of the passage and knocked at the door, which had a little old knocker of twisted brass, with a queer design of a skull and cross-bones. "Come in," Miss Phipps' low voice

bade her. ' I've brought you a letter, Delia said, pausing on the threshold of the room. " Please give it to me." Miss Phipps was sitting up in bed, wearing a flowered dressing-jacket and a boudoir cap. She had been having her breakfast. The coquettish attire did not at all become her. Delia noticed that her eyes were very < red and that they had thin red lashes. The room smelt rather stuffily. There was an unpleasant odour which Delia thought must be connected with a large black cat that was sitting on Miss Phipps-' breakfast table, almost in her tray. A very handsome cat. His bright golden eyes wero opened wide on Delia beforo ho nodded in sleep again.

" Won't you sit down F* a eked Mrns Phipps, "I'll just glanco at my letter. We'll have a litfclo talk. I hope vou have had your breakfast cormorlably, that. Dobbs saw you. had all you wanted. I am responsible for Dobb3 in this house. He tvas a very bad caso, gassed, but I nursed him back to health, and he has had no ill results."

"So he told me,'" said Delia. "He told you'"' What did he say?" Miss Phipps wriggled self-cOnsciously on her pillows. "He said he'd have gono West but for you; that you were the best nurse they had; that you never minded anything you did as long as it helped your patients." "Anything more'" Delia shook her head. Mr. Dobo?. who had not attained to the detachment of the trained servant, had hung over Delia at breakfast, holding a dish before her, and breathing so hard that she had ielt the little curbs on her neck lifted as though by a breeze, in tho unwonted effort of expressing himself. "Don't vou bo set against her, miss, by them that's against her in this 'ousa, he had said. "She's not wot you'd call 'andsome, nor yet. cheerful; not to deceive you, miss, she was known in B Ward of No. 2 Hospital at h'Arras as Dismal Emma, but. lor' there weren t rothink she grudged a chap in the way o' workin* for him."

She tried to remember Mr. Dobb's testimony now that she was face to face with-"Miss Phipps. She glanced round the room. It was more line an apothecary's shop than a bedroom. Thero were shelves round the walls full of medicine bottles, medical instruments, medical books. One or two thick jars looked rather nasty. Delia thought she would not inquire about thorn. "If I hadn't come to Mr. Talbot 1 hoped to have taken up doctoring aa a profession," said Misa Phipps, coming back from her letter and discovering Delia's wandering gaze. "I wonder if he understands the sacrifice I made. You like my little room? more a worklng-i-oora than a boudoir,*' —she pronounced it boodoor. (< I like to feel I'm in hospital again. I do miss the hard work and the operations. Too comfortable here." Delia remembered a picture she had seen—was it called the Alchemist? It represented an old man sitting at a table surrounded by queer vessels and instruments. A strange lamp was burning, with a bluo flame. There was a skeleton in one corner. Overhead, suspended front the ceiling were tho dried, withored shapes of bats and owls. Something ivas bubbling in a crucible, sending out smoke and flame. There was an hourglass on tho table, and a little scalea. The room reminded her—only that the other had an uncanny beauty. And— yes—there was a cat in "the Alchemist," a largo sleepy black cat with yellow eyes. "What, is that?" Delia asked with a gasp, indicating something on the wall. "It is a skull picked up at Paschaendale. My boys knew I liked curios and one of them brought me that. The little knocker on my door was another gift. They knew just what I liked. She was sidling about in bed with that extraordinarily self-couscioua air. "You are looking pale," she said. " Those rapid changes of colour do riot show a very strong constitution. You should spare yourself." "Please I don't feel very well. I should like to get into the open air," said Delia. "Oh," said Miss Phipps, disappointedly, "and I was going to tell you some stories about the war. I have the most wonder-

M stories. Life is very tamo since those splendid hard-working days. Well, another time! I must prescribe for those faintnesses. ..."

But Delia was out in the corridor, where Argus was waiting patiently, lying outside another door which Delia conjectured to be that of Mrw Talbot's room.,

(To be oontinued daily.)