Alma spoke as if her illness were merely natural, due to nothing in
particular; but her husband fancied that she wished to atone, by sweet
and affectionate behaviour, for that unwonted ill-usage of him. He saw,
too, beyond doubt, that the illness seemed to her a blessing; its
result, which some women would have wept over, brought joy into her
eyes. This, in so far as it was unnatural, caused him some disturbance;
on the other hand, he was quite unable to take a regretful view of what
had happened, and why should he charge upon Alma as a moral fault that
which he easily condoned in himself?

A few days more and the convalescent was allowed to leave her room. As
if to welcome her, there arrived that morning a letter from Melbourne,
with news that Sibyl and her husband would sail for England in a
fortnight's time after the date of writing, by the Orient Line steamer
_Lusitania_.

'You know what you suggested?' cried Alma delightedly. 'Shall we go?'

'What -- to Naples? We should have to be off immediately. If they come
by the next ship after the one that brought this letter, they are now
only a fortnight from the end of the voyage. That means -- allowing for
their nine days from Naples to London -- that we should have to be at
Naples in four or five days from now.'

'Well? That's easily managed, isn't it?'

'Not by anyone in your state of health,' replied Harvey gently.

'I am perfectly well! I could travel night and day. Why not? One eats
and sleeps as usual. Besides, are you quite sure They may be longer than