"We never heard you come in, and when the bell rung----" "Is Mr.Saltram worse ?" Gilbert asked, eagerly.
"Worse, poor dear gentleman; no, sir, I should hope not, though he well may be, for there never was any one so imprudent, not of all the invalids I've ever had to do with--and Hampton is a rare place for invalids.

And I feel sure if you'd been here, sir, you wouldn't have let him do it." "Let him do what?
Are you crazy, girl?
What, in heaven's name, are you talking of ?" "You wouldn't have let him start off to London post-haste, as he did yesterday afternoon, and scarcely able to stand alone, in a manner of speaking." "Gone to London! Do you mean to say that my friend Mr.Saltram went to London ?" "Yes, sir; yesterday afternoon between four and five." "What utter madness! And when did he come back ?" "Lor' bless you, sir, he ain't come back yet.

He told missus as his coming back was quite uncertain, and she was not to worry herself about him.

She did all she could, almost to going down on her knees, to hinder him going; but it was no use.

It was a matter of life and death as he was going upon, he said, and that there was no power on earth could keep him back, not if he was ten times worse than he was.