The man walked behind her, as though to render assistance if necessary, but she came on fearlessly, stopping when within about a foot of where Comethup stood, drawn up close at the side of the path. "Who's there?" she asked sharply.
Comethup was about to reply, but she felt her way to him, dropped her hand on his shoulder, and shook him a little. "I want a man called Willis--David Willis. Is this his house?"
Comethup, at a loss what to say, was in danger of being shaken again, when the captain appeared at the door. He came forward courteously, with a hand extended to guide her. "This is David Willis's house," he said. "Are you seeking him?"
"I am. What the devil should I be here for if I weren't? Gracious--what ridiculous questions people can ask on a hot day!"
"Can I assist you, madam?" asked the captain, making a step forward.
But she waved him back fiercely. "Keep off, keep off!" she cried. "I'm not a baby, and I can find my way alone, even in such a pokey place as this." Still pushing Comethup before her, she got into the house and, in some fashion or other, into the little parlour. The captain had backed nervously away from her, as though he were backing from royalty, and now stood at a few paces distant, indefinitely waving his hands toward a chair which he had placed for her. But she stood, and waved her stick round the room, like some strange enchantress, still keeping her hand on the boy's shoulder. There was an awkward pause for a moment or two, and then she spoke again, with growing impatience and in a higher key.
"Well, where is the man? Everybody seems to have lost their wits to-day. That infernal driver at the station sighed, as though his breakfast hadn't agreed with him, when I mentioned where I wanted to go; and now here's a man and a boy who've lost their tongues, and are staring at me as though I'd just come from paradise. Will no one speak? Where's David Willis?"
"David Willis is--is upstairs, madam," said the captain, with the idea of breaking the matter gently to her.
"Well, fetch him down. Gracious, what fools men are!"
"I regret that it is impossible," said the captain.
"Dead! What on earth are you talking about?" she asked, sharply. She sat down then, still keeping her grip of Comethup's shoulder and leaning heavily on her stick with the other hand.