To say the thing puzzled me would be to put it lightly enough. For
the rest of the day my thoughts kept turning to that enigmatic
household at the Bend. The most puzzling point of all, to my mind,
was why Lennox, in speaking of the people about, had not so much as
mentioned Lessing's name. Here was a patient to whom he had, as I
surmised, been called once before at least on the same mysterious
errand as my own that morning, with whom he was more or less on terms
of intimacy, and who must have provided almost his sole educated
companionship in the village, and yet he had not seen fit so much as
to touch upon Lessing's existence in my talk with him. Considering
the words with which my own advent had been that morning greeted, I
would have given much to be able to corner Lennox just then for ten
minutes' conversation.
I had heard nothing from him so far, and the following morning, on
the chance of there being a letter, I drove down to the village after
breakfast. As I entered the post office Miss Lessing was just coming
out. She had a brown-paper parcel--an obvious butcher's parcel--in
her hand, together with a couple of mail packets, and as I stood
aside to let her pass she stopped to exchange a few words with me.
Her brother was better, she said; he looked forward to seeing me that
afternoon. We chatted a moment, and when she turned to go I said
naturally:
"You might let me give you a lift up the road. I'm going straight
back."
She smiled. "I'm used to walking, thanks all the same! Besides,
there's a short cut through the woods I've found. It takes off
nearly half the distance."
"You don't mind the woods alone?"
"I've got the dog with me."
I watched her straight slim little figure up the street, the dog
following at her heels, and turned into the post office. The clerk
had grown familiar during our daily intercourse. He handed me two
letters with a ready grin--Lennox's handwriting was not among
them--then leaned his elbows on the shabby counter and spat
reflectively into the space below.
"Mr. Lessing had another attack, ain't he?"
"What do you mean," I said curtly.
"I heer'd you was called over thar, yesterday. Reckon you'll have
enough to do if you take on with all the crazy folks round here."