She forbade him, in the most positive terms, to go again to the Rectory--to approach within half-a-mile of it.

Lord Hartledon civilly told her he could not comply; he hinted that if her alarms were so great, she had better leave the place until all danger was over, and thereby nearly entailed on himself another war-dance.
News that came up that morning from the Rectory did not tend to assuage her fears.

The poor dairymaid had died in the night, and another servant, one of the men, was sickening.

Even Lord Hartledon looked grave: and the countess-dowager wormed a half promise from him, in the softened feelings of the moment, that he would not visit the infected house.
Before an hour was over he came to her to retract it.

"I cannot be so unfeeling, so unneighbourly, as not to call," he said.