Chapter 28

But even after this Dowie did not ask questions. She only watched more
carefully and waited to be told what the depths of her being most
yearned to hear. The gradually founded belief of her careful prosaic
life prevented ease of mind or a sense of security. She could not be
certain that it would be the part of wisdom to allow herself to feel
secure. She did not wish to arouse Doctor Benton's professional anxiety
by asking questions about Lady Maureen Darcy, but, by a clever and
adroitly gradual system of what was really cross examination which did
not involve actual questions, she drew from him the name of the woman
who had been Lady Maureen's chief nurse when the worst seemed impending.
It was by fortunate chance the name of a woman she had once known well
during a case of dangerous illness in an important household. She
herself had had charge of the nursery and Nurse Darian had liked her
because she had proved prompt and intelligent in an alarming crisis.
They had become friends and Dowie knew she might write to her and ask
for information and advice. She wrote a careful respectful letter which
revealed nothing but that she was anxious about a case she had temporary
charge of. She managed to have the letter posted in London and the
answer forwarded to her from there. Nurse Darian's reply was generously
full for a hard-working woman. It answered questions and was friendly.
But the woman's war work had plainly led her to see and reflect upon the
opening up of new and singular vistas.

"What we hear oftenest is that the whole world is somehow changing," she
ended by saying. "You hear it so often that you get tired. But something
_is_ happening--something strange-- Even the doctors find themselves
facing things medical science does not explain. They don't like it. I
sometimes think doctors hate change more than anybody. But the
cleverest and biggest ones talk together. It's this looking at a thing
lying on a bed alive and talking perhaps, one minute--and _gone out_ the
next, that sets you asking yourself questions. In these days a nurse
seems to see nothing else day and night. You can't make yourself believe
they have gone far-- And when you keep hearing stories about them coming
back--knocking on tables, writing on queer boards--just any way so that
they can get at those they belong to--! Well, I shouldn't be sure myself
that a comforting dream means that a girl's mind's giving away. Of
course a nurse is obliged to watch--But Lady Maureen found
_something_--And she _was_ going mad and now she is as sane as I am."

Dowie was vaguely supported because the woman was an intelligent person
and knew her business thoroughly. Nevertheless one must train one's eyes
to observe everything without