One warm evening, after Oliver and the ladies have returned from their customary stroll, Rose is overcome by a fit of uncontrollable weeping. She makes a courageous effort to compose herself but is soon forced to admit: "I fear I am ill, aunt." Yet as the girl goes to her room, she seems to have rallied somewhat. Nevertheless, Mrs. Maylie feels certain that her niece's condition is serious and will become worse. The worried old lady tries to control herself.
The next morning, Rose is in the grip of a dangerous fever. Mrs. Maylie writes two letters. One, summoning Mr. Losberne from Chertsey, is to be sent at once, but she decides to wait before sending the other, addressed to "Harry Maylie, Esquire."
Oliver takes the Losberne letter and speeds four miles through the fields to the nearest village. At the inn, the message to the doctor is entrusted to a special express rider.
As Oliver hurries away, he accidentally collides with a tall man wearing a cloak. The stranger snarls at the boy and then falls down in convulsions. Oliver calls help, and the man is carried into the inn. The distress at the cottage of Rose's illness drives the incident from Oliver's mind.
Rose is much worse, and the local practitioner has given her up. Before midnight, the girl becomes delirious. Oliver spends a night filled with suspense and terror. The following day is a time of anxious waiting. Mr. Losberne comes but can only commiserate: "It is hard; so young; so much beloved; but there is very little hope."
