"Will you be quiet?" I said. "I cannot have her disturbed."
"You cannot!" she repeated, raising her voice. "Who gave you a right to
order me round, Ruth Privet? Is this your house?"
I knew that her shrill voice would easily penetrate to Julia's bedroom,
and indeed there was only a thin door between the sick girl and the
kitchen where we were. I took Mrs. Webbe by the wrist as strongly as I
could, and before she could collect her wits, I led her out of the
house, and down to the gate.
"What are you doing?" she demanded. "How dare you drag me about?"
"I beg your pardon," I said, dropping my hold. "I think you did not
understand, Mrs. Webbe, that as nurse I cannot have my patient excited."
She looked at me in a blaze of anger. I have never seen a woman so
carried away by rage, and it is frightful. Yet she seemed to be making
an effort to control herself. I was anxious to help her if I could, so I
forced a smile, although I am afraid it was not a very warm one, and I
assumed as conciliatory a manner as I could muster.
"You must think I was rather abrupt," I said, "but I did not mean to be.
I couldn't explain to you in the kitchen, the partition is so thin. You
see she's in the room that opens out of it."
Mrs. Webbe softened somewhat.
"It is very noble of you to be here," she said in a new tone, and one
which I must confess did not to me have a genuine ring; "it's splendid
of you, but what's the use of it? What affair of yours is it, anyway?"
I was tempted to serve her up a quotation about a certain man who went
down to Jericho and fell among thieves, but I resisted.
"I could come, Mrs. Webbe, and apparently nobody else could."
"They wouldn't," she rejoined frankly. "Don't you see everybody else
knew it was a case to be let alone?"