She said she only knew what Sophia had told her.
After a time Dr. Stirling determined to try electricity, and Dick Povey drove him up to the surgery to fetch his apparatus.
The women were left alone again.
Constance was very deeply impressed by Lily Holl's sensible, sympathetic attitude.
"Whatever I should have done without Miss Lily I don't know!" she used to exclaim afterwards.
Even Maud was beyond praise.
It seemed to be the middle of the night when Dr. Stirling came back, but it was barely eleven o'clock, and people were only just returning from Hanbridge Theatre and Hanbridge Music Hall.
The use of the electrical apparatus was a dead spectacle.
Sophia's inertness under it was agonizing.
They waited, as it were, breathless for the result.
And there was no result.
Both injections and electricity had entirely failed to influence the paralysis of Sophia's mouth and throat.
Everything had failed.
"Nothing to do but wait a bit!" said the doctor quietly.
They waited in the chamber.
Sophia seemed to be in a kind of coma.
The distortion of her handsome face was more marked as time passed.
The doctor spoke now and then in a low voice.
He said that the attack had ultimately been determined by cold produced by rapid motion in the automobile.
Dick Povey whispered that he must run over to Hanbridge and let Lily's parents know that there was no cause for alarm on her account, and that he would return at once.
He was very devoted.
On the landing out-side the bedroom, the doctor murmured to him:
"U.P."
And Dick nodded.
They were great friends.
At intervals the doctor, who never knew when he was beaten, essayed new methods of dealing with Sophia's case.
New symptoms followed.
It was half-past twelve when, after gazing with prolonged intensity at the patient, and after having tested her mouth and heart, he rose slowly and looked at Constance.
"It's over?" said Constance.
And he very slightly moved his head.
"Come downstairs, please," he enjoined her, in a pause that ensued.
Constance was amazingly courageous.
The doctor was very solemn and very kind; Constance had never before seen him to such heroic advantage.
He led her with infinite gentleness out of the room.
There was nothing to stay for; Sophia had gone.
Constance wanted to stay by Sophia's body; but it was the rule that the stricken should be led away, the doctor observed this classic rule, and Constance felt that he was right and that she must obey.
Lily Holl followed.
The servant, learning the truth by the intuition accorded to primitive natures, burst into loud sobs, yelling that Sophia had been the most excellent mistress that servant ever had.
The doctor angrily told her not to stand blubbering there, but to go into her kitchen and shut the door if she couldn't control herself.
All his accumulated nervous agitation was discharged on Maud like a thunderclap.
Constance continued to behave wonderfully.
She was the admiration of the doctor and Lily Holl.
Then Dick Povey came back.
It was settled that Lily should pass the night with Constance.
At last the doctor and Dick departed together, the doctor undertaking the mortuary arrangements.
Maud was hunted to bed.
Early in the morning Constance rose up from her own bed.
It was five o'clock, and there had been daylight for two hours already.
She moved noiselessly and peeped over the foot of the bed at the sofa. Lily was quietly asleep there, breathing with the softness of a child.
Lily would have deemed that she was a very mature woman, who had seen life and much of it. Yet to Constance her face and attitude had the exquisite quality of a child's.