Armine was never strong, and his illnesses were always a greater
anxiety than those of other people, so that his mother came to the
immediate decision of going to Eton that same afternoon and remaining
there, unless she found that it had been a false alarm.
She did not find it so; and as she remained with her boy, Janet's
conversation with her could not be resumed. There was so much chance
of infection that she could not see any of the family again. Both
the Johns sickened as soon as Armine began to improve, and Miss
Ogilvie took the three girls down to Belforest. After the first few
days it was rather a pleasant nursing. There was never any real
alarm; indeed, Armine was the least ill of the three, and Johnny the
most, and each boy was perfectly delighted to have her to attend to
him, her nephew almost touchingly grateful. The only other victim
was Jock's most intimate friend, Cecil Evelyn, whose fag Armine was.
He became a sharer of her attentions and the amusements she provided.
She received letters of grateful thanks from his mother, who was,
like herself, a widow, but was prevented from coming to him by close
attendance on her mother-in-law, who was in a lingering state of
decay when every day might be the last.
The eldest son, Lord Fordham, was so delicate that he was on no
account to be exposed to the infection, and the boys were exceedingly
anxious that Cecil should join them in the expedition that their
mother projected making with them, to air them in Switzerland before
returning to the rest of the family.
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