He made a movement, grasping the arm of his chair, as if to wheel it
closer, but he came actually no nearer her.
"Why don't you go away, nurse?" said Lady Ashbridge, "and leave my son
and me to talk about our nice day in the country?"
Nurse Baker answered quite naturally.
"I want to talk, too, my lady," she said. "I went with you and Lord
Comber. We all enjoyed it together."
It seemed to Michael that his mother made some violent effort towards
self-control. He saw one of her hands that were lying on her knee clench
itself, so that the knuckles stood out white.
"Yes, we will all talk together, then," she said. "Or--er--shall I have
a little doze first? I am rather sleepy with so much pleasant air. And
you are sleepy, too, are you not, Michael? Yes, I see you look sleepy.
Shall we have a little nap, as I often do after tea? Then, when I am
fresh again, you shall come back, nurse, and we will talk over our
pleasant day."
When he entered the room, Michael had not quite closed the door, and
now, as half an hour before, he heard steps on the stairs. A moment
afterwards his mother heard them too.
"What is that?" she said. "Who is coming now to disturb me, just when I
wanted to have a nap?"
There came a knock at the door.
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