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She really ought not to have been surprised at the man who stood there He had, after all, proht of Doctor Chillingsworth, all the eht bubbled to the surface--all her fear, her despair Every last ounce of impossible worry that she had sed casworth," she said in a cold voice

He looked down his nose at her "I am here as promised"

"You are too late," she heard herself say "Patricia gave birth an hour ago"

His face did not even flicker at this news He didn’t look surprised He didn’t apologize for his hateful words the previous night

"Ah, did she?" he said instead

She felt her hands clench into fists at her sides "You said it wasn’t her time" No It wasn’t despair that filled her It was a cold fury, one that threatened to overwheled "Well, there was some chance I was ured there’d be no real harm Women of her sort are like cows: They scarcely need any assistance when dropping their calves"

He stepped into the entry and took off his coat, oblivious--or perhaps just indifferent--to Rose’s splutter

"I suppose I’ll take a look now"

Lying erer Women of her sort are like cows It was too much--far, far too much

She took a step toward him "When Doctor Wells left, he asked me to stand in his stead--to tell him every time I heard the baby’s heartbeat, to convey every last kick I felt"

It had not been so long ago that she’d held her sister’s hand, had put her hands on her sister’s belly and pushed her son’s head that last inch They had not needed this ht have happened had things been even an iota worse His absence could have meant the baby’s life Or Patricia’s And to hi off She could scarcely think for the anger that filled her

"On behalf of my sister’s husband," Rose said, "this is for you"

So saying, she punched him in the stoing in thegrunt

"This is for her" Rose punched hiain "And this is for ain, but he caught her wrist this tio of her" The words came from behind her Rose felt herself ssworth froze He looked up at Stephen, who had come into the entry "And you are?"

"Taller than you," Stephen said "Stronger than you Younger than you And at this o of Miss Sweetly and get out of here before I hold you down for her to pummel"

The doctor released her wrist He stepped back and then shakily took his coat from the hook

"Get out, then," Stephen said

He took another step forward; Chillingsworth wrenched open the door, letting in a blast of cold air, and then, as swiftly as he could, he vanished The door sla wildly in the entry She’d punched a man Twice And he’d deserved it