But his letter did force her to realise the difficulties of her
position. In writing to Mrs. Bolitho she had spoken of herself as
Martin's wife, and now when she was called "Mrs. Warlock" she
tacitly accepted that, hating the deceit, but wishing for anything
that might keep the situation tranquil and undisturbed. She asked
Mrs. Bolitho to let her have a small room near the big one, telling
her that Martin was so ill that he must be undisturbed at night.
Then Mr. Magnus's letter arrived addressed to "Miss Cardinal," and
she thought that Mrs. Bolitho looked at her oddly when she gave it
to her. Martin's illness, too, seemed to disturb the household. He
cried out in his dreams, his shouts waking the whole establishment.
Bolitho, once, thinking that murder was being committed, went to his
room, found him sitting up in bed, sweating with terror. He caught
hold of Bolitho, flung his arms around him, would not let him go,
urging him "not to help them, to protect him. They would catch
him . . . they would catch him. They would catch him."
The stout and phlegmatic farmer was himself frightened, sitting
there on the bed, in his night-shirt, and "seeing ghosts" in the
flickering light of the candle.
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