She stuffed a book hastily between her dress and the chair, and received me in a state of langour which, had it not been for Mrs.Rusk's comfortable assurances, would have frightened me.
'I hope you are better, Madame,' I said, approaching.
'Better than I deserve, my dear cheaile, sufficiently well.

The people are all so good, trying me with every little thing, like a bird; here is cafe--Mrs.Rusk-a, poor woman, I try to swallow a little to please her.' 'And your cold, is it better ?' She shook her head languidly, her elbow resting on the chair, and three finger-tips supporting her forehead, and then she made a little sigh, looking down from the corners of her eyes, in an interesting dejection.
'Je sens des lassitudes in all the members--but I am quaite 'appy, and though I suffer I am console and oblige des bontes, ma chere, que vous avez tous pour moi;' and with these words she turned a languid glance of gratitude on me which dropped on the ground.
'Lady Knollys wishes very much to see you, only for a few minutes, if you could admit her.' 'Vous savez les malades see _never_ visitors,' she replied with a startled sort of tartness, and a momentary energy.

'Besides, I cannot converse; je sens de temps en temps des douleurs de tete--of head, and of the ear, the right ear, it is parfois agony absolutely, and now it is here.' And she winced and moaned, with her eyes closed and her hand pressed to the organ affected.
Simple as I was, I felt instinctively that Madame was shamming.

She was over-acting; her transitions were too violent, and beside she forgot that I knew how well she could speak English, and must perceive that she was heightening the interest of her helplessness by that pretty tessellation of foreign idiom.

I there-fore said with a kind of courage which sometimes helped me suddenly-- 'Oh, Madame, don't you really think you might, without much inconvenience, see Lady Knollys for a very few minutes ?' 'Cruel cheaile! you know I have a pain of the ear which makes me 'orribly suffer at this moment, and you demand me whether I will not converse with strangers.