doctor, the old-established one, Dr. Irechester, was angry at first with
Dr. Evans for coming; he didn't want a rival. But Christian was such a
meek, mild, simple little Welshman, not the least pushing or ambitious;
and very soon Dr. Irechester, who's quite well off, was glad to leave him
the dirty work, I mean (she explained, smiling) the cottages, and the
panel work, National Insurance, you know, and so on. Well, as you know, I
came down as _locum_ for Christian, he was a fellow-student of mine, and
when the dear little man was killed in France, Dr. Irechester himself
suggested that I should stay on. He was rather nice. He said, 'We all
started to laugh at you, at first, but we don't laugh now, anyhow, only
my wife does! So, if you stay on, I don't doubt we shall work very well
together, my dear colleague,' Wasn't that rather nice of him, Cynthia?"

"Yes, dear," said Cynthia, in a voice that sounded a good many
miles away.

Mary laughed. "I'm bound to be interested in you, but I suppose
you're not bound to be interested in me," she observed resignedly.
"All the same, I made a sensation at Inkston just at first. And they
were even more astonished when it turned out that I could dance and
play lawn tennis."

"That's a funny little place," said Cynthia, pointing to the left side
of the road.

"Tower Cottage, that's called."

"But what a funny place!" Cynthia insisted. "A round tower, like a
Martello tower, only smaller, of course; and what looks just like an
ordinary cottage or small farm-house joined on to it. What could the