She entered the room slowly with her everlasting manuscript in her hand.
Her step was unsteady; a dark flush appeared on her face, in place of its customary pallor; her eyes were bloodshot and widely dilated.
In approaching Henry, she showed a strange incapability of calculating her distances--she struck against the table near which he happened to be sitting. When she spoke, her articulation was confused, and her pronunciation of some of the longer words was hardly intelligible.
Most men would have suspected her of being under the influence of some intoxicating liquor. Henry took a truer view--he said, as he placed a chair for her, 'Countess, I am afraid you have been working too hard: you look as if you wanted rest.'
She put her hand to her head. 'My invention has gone,' she said.
'I can't write my fourth act. It's all a blank--all a blank!'
Henry advised her to wait till the next day. 'Go to bed,' he suggested;and try to sleep.'
She waved her hand impatiently. 'I must finish the play,' she answered. 'I only want a hint from you. You must know something about plays. Your brother has got a theatre.
You must often have heard him talk about fourth and fifth acts--you must have seen rehearsals, and all the rest of it.'
She abruptly thrust the manuscript into Henry's hand. 'I can't read it to you,' she said; 'I feel giddy when I look at my own writing.
Just run your eye over it, there's a good fellow--and give me a hint.'
Henry glanced at the manuscript. He happened to look at the list of the persons of the drama. As he read the list he started and turned abruptly to the Countess, intending to ask her for some explanation.
The words were suspended on his lips. It was but too plainly useless to speak to her. Her head lay back on the rail of the chair.
She seemed to be half asleep already. The flush on her face had deepened: she looked like a woman who was in danger of having a fit.
He rang the bell, and directed the man who answered it to send one of the chambermaids upstairs. His voice seemed to partially rouse the Countess; she opened her eyes in a slow drowsy way.
'Have you read it?' she asked.
It was necessary as a mere act of humanity to humour her.
'I will read it willingly,' said Henry, 'if you will go upstairs to bed. You shall hear what I think of it to-morrow morning.
Our heads will be clearer, we shall be better able to make the fourth act in the morning.'
The chambermaid came in while he was speaking. 'I am afraid the lady is ill,' Henry whispered. 'Take her up to her room.'
The woman looked at the Countess and whispered back, 'Shall we send for a doctor, sir?'
Henry advised taking her upstairs first, and then asking the manager's opinion. There was great difficulty in persuading her to rise, and accept the support of the chambermaid's arm.
It was only by reiterated promises to read the play that night, and to make the fourth act in the morning, that Henry prevailed on the Countess to return to her room.
Left to himself, he began to feel a certain languid curiosity in relation to the manuscript. He looked over the pages, reading a line here and a line there. Suddenly he changed colour as he read--and looked up from the manuscript like a man bewildered.
'Good God! what does this mean?' he said to himself.
His eyes turned nervously to the door by which Agnes had left him.
She might return to the drawing-room, she might want to see what the Countess had written. He looked back again at the passage which had startled him--considered with himself for a moment--and, snatching up the unfinished play, suddenly and softly left the room.
