Honeyfoot protested again and again that it was too dangerous, that they did not understand enough of what had been done to free Lady Pole for them to safely try the magic on Segundus and Childermass. He begged his friend to be calm and wait.
Segundus continued to assert that it was far more dangerous for them to go on as they had.
"Who knows what I will say next? What if I do something that I can't reverse? How will I live with myself, Mr Honeyfoot?"
Mr Honeyfoot had no answer.
Childermass slept into the evening and Segundus sat the by the bed for the duration of the day.
Honeyfoot came up to the room with food twice and to take it away again when it was cold since Segundus would not touch it. He comforted the worried servants for Segundus and helped clean the drops of blood leading from the hall to the the bed so that they wouldn't become more concerned.
When Childermass woke, Segundus was still sitting next to his bed. Honeyfoot was asleep in a chair sitting in the corner as he had not wanted to abandon Segundus when he was so upset. When Segundus saw Childermass' eyes open, he held up a notebook displaying a sheet of paper on which he had written:
"I plan to remain silent until you are freed from me."
"Careful," said Childermass. He winced and looked down at his hand and the bloody handkerchief wrapped around it and rolled his eyes as he remembered the injury. "We haven't experimented with the effect your pretty handwriting might have on me."
Segundus dipped his head and looked away. Mr Honeyfoot woke then, straightening himself out in the chair and stretching. Segundus motioned anxiously and Honeyfoot walked to stand next to him.
"Mr Segundus has asked me to be his voice for the time being," he explained. .
"Very well," said Childermass.
Honeyfoot wrung his hands and his brow creased.
"He has planned to do something very foolish when you wake, something very, very foolish. I am strongly opposed-"
Segundus gently grabbed Honeyfoot's arm, shaking his head.
"No, Mr Segundus. No. I have to say it. I don't agree with your plan. I don't agree with you putting yourself and Mr Childermass in danger like this."
Childermass sat up in the bed. He felt sweaty from sleeping through a summer day in his clothes and peeled them away from his skin.
"What plan?"
"He wants to improvise a reversal of the spell he used to free Lady Pole and attempt parting you immediately. He insists you're safer that way."
Childermass and Segundus met eyes and Childermass nodded.
"Yes," he said. "We must try it."
"No!" said Honeyfoot again, looking between them. "Have you no concern for own safety, either of you?"
Segundus signaled to Honeyfoot and Honeyfoot bent so that Segundus could whisper in his ear.
"Mr Segundus says that this is exactly what he is considering. Your safety, Mr Childermass. He...says that any risk to himself he can bear, he only wants you to be well again and to have your old life back."
Childermass gave a sarcastic half bow toward Segundus and Segundus flinched as though physically hurt by it.
"I'm hungry," said Childermass. "Surely this great magical experiment can wait until after I have eaten, especially as this may be my last meal for all we know."
Segundus nodded looked entreatingly to Honeyfoot, who left the room to go bring back something for Childermass to eat. When he had left, Segundus stared down at the floor.
Childermass was content with the silence until Honeyfoot returned with a bowl of cold soup and a chunk of bread in one hand and a glass of water in the other. Childermass gulped the water first and then devoured the food. Honeyfoot set the dishes aside and Childermass turned to Segundus, who was sitting still and quiet with his hands folded in his lap, like a boy in church.
"Well, we are waiting for you, Segundus," said Childermass. "This is your magic."
Segundus stood and walked to the chest of drawers where he had earlier retrieved the handkerchief on Childermass' hand. He opened the top one and after moving several things things around, he pulled out a small box. When Segundus lifted the lid, choppy, metallic music leaked into the room. He pulled from it a worn piece of paper and then shut it and the room was silent again
"Please, reconsider," said Honeyfoot.
Segundus shook his head and walked back to the bed where Childermass was still slumped in a sitting position supported by the wall..
"Mr Childermass," said Honeyfoot. "Convince him, please. He is too distraught to decide on this. As are you."
"I am not distraught," said Childermass.
Honeyfoot threw his hands in the air in frustration and turned back to his friend.
"Me Segundus. Think of those you love. Think of-"
Segundus waved his hands and beckoned Honeyfoot to him. He whispered something that made Honeyfoot frown and then risked meeting eyes with Childermass.
"What?" asked Childermass to Honeyfoot.
"He says, wrongly if I may add, that he is a bachelor and will leave no widow or children and so he will deprive no one if he should fail and perish in the process."
Childermas raised a tired eyebrow.
"Well, Norrell always did say magicians shouldn't marry. Are you ready, Segundus?"
Segundus nodded and unfolded the paper in the his hands. He stared down at it and thought for some time on the words and what happened the day in winter when he had released Lady Pole from her enchantment. He could not say if he had been more scared then or now at the task ahead of him.
Segundus fixed his thoughts on what he wanted to do and in his mind, he moved around the words of the spell.
For some time, nothing happened and he concentrated on his goal with more intensity. He imagined Childermass freed from the constraints that had melded them together and the magic that left him vulnerable to Segundus' every word. He moved the spell again in his mind and supplied some new phrases and he heated this mixture with a force inside of him desperate to undo the wrongs of the last several days.
He felt a sharp pain at his stomach. He opened his eyes in shock and saw that Childermass was hunched over on the bed, clutching at his middle. Segundus nearly stopped but Childermass grimaced and twisted his face to one side in as much of a shaking of his head as he could manage.
Segundus continued and he now gave the magic his regret and hurt and told it that he did not want it any more and those feelings twisted into the spell that Segundus could feel winding its way through him, like plant breaking through the soil. He gave the magic as well his thankfulness that for all that happened, Childermass was still here, in his home, in England, and alive.
His last thought before things went black was of the laugh Childermass had laughed the night before, shortly before Segundus had so carelessly trapped him in the magic. Before things went dark, his most powerful plea was for Childermass to have back that happiness.

When Segundus next woke it was morning, late morning and his face was hot. Perched on the windowsill was a white cat watching him with a titled head. He he watched, the cat mewed and crawled onto a nearby tree branch and disappeared into the leaves. Segundus and his sheets were covered in sweat and a cool cloth was at his forehead. He heard footsteps and turned his head to see Honeyfoot pacing the room.
"Oh, thank goodness," said Honeyfoot when saw Segundus' eyes were open. He scrambled to the bed where he picked up a large glass of water sitting on the floor and offered it to Segundus. "At last, you're both awake."
Segundus lifted his head and took the glass of water from Honeyfoot. In seconds had he had drunk it, some of the water spilling down his face onto his pillow.
"Where is Childermass?" he asked as Honeyfoot poured him another glass. He drank that one too and then lay back down.
"In the other room. He's very weak and cannot walk now, but he is eating you out of house and home, Mr Segundus."
Segundus pushed himself into a sitting position and pushed the his blanket away. He stared down at his stomach like he would see something missing there. But there was nothing. The magic linking them was severed.

Segundus stayed in bed that day, but by evening, was well enough to stand and walk around his room. He found the spell he had used as a template to part him and Childermass dropped and crumpled under the bed and after some thought, put it away where he had kept it after it had freed Lady Pole. Honeyfoot went up and down the stairs all day and back and forth between Segundus and Childermass, bringing food and cloths for their faces and constantly imploring them both to have water. He had thought it best to let the servants have a day free from the odd happenings of Starecross and the house was silent but for the little complaints of the old boards of the house as Honeyfoot went about taking care of them.
"How is he?" asked Segundus. He was tired again and resting with a book. Honeyfoot had just come from Childermass' room and was still balancing his dishes in one arm as he gathered Segundus'.
"He says this is preferable to being shot," answered Honeyfoot wearily. "Though not something he would recommend to pass an afternoon. The man is very insincere at times."
"But is he well?"
"I think he is," said Honeyfoot.
Segundus took that thought with him when he returned to bed that night and considered strongly if his magic was good magic or not.

He had not yet manged to sleep an hour later when he heard the noise of a door opening and a whispering human voice, which was Childermass'.
There was hardly time for him to sit before he heard a thump outside his door and Segudus left his bed and went see what the sound was.
What he found was John Childermass lying on the floor outside his room, his hair stuck to his head with sweat and a slightly too short night shirt similarly plastered to his body.
"Oh, look," said Childermass. "It's John Segundus, the scourge of fairy magic."
Segundus bent down to look Childermass in the eye. His face was red and his eyes not quite focused.
"I think..." He took a deep breath and paused. "You're very warm. Would you allow a cool bath, Childermass?"
Childermass groaned and Segundus did what he thought was best and put an arm around Childermass' shoulder and with great effort, pulled him up.
He got Childermass back into his bed and then ran downstairs. He filled a pitcher with water and grabbed a clean cloth from the closet.
Back in the room where Childermass was lying on his back on the bed, Segundus set the water and the cloth down and removed the soaked night shirt from Childermass. He dipped the cloth in the water and wet Childermass face and neck and shoulders. Childermass gave a small moan but did not ask him to stop. Segundus continued down to his chest and then he went back downstairs to get cooler water. When he returned, Segundus wiped Childermass' chest again then each leg in turn, too frantic to even feel shy about touching Childermass in many areas that nearly bordered on intimate.