Down the Wrights' carriage road she heard a footstep on the gravel; a
step that grew louder and louder, the confident, comforting step of
the kind friend on whom she relied as she had never relied on any
human being.
"What did I tell you?" William called to her, as he loomed out of the
darkness into the circle of light from the lantern.
"He is all right?" she said trembling; "you saw him?"
"I didn't see him, but--"
"Oh," she said blankly.
"I saw those who had, ten minutes before; won't that do?" he teased
her. "I found the Wright family just going to bed--where you ought to
be this minute. I said I had just stopped in to say how-do-you-do.
Samuel at once reproved me, because I hadn't been to evening church."
"And he--Sam? Was he--"
"He was in the house, up-stairs, his mother said. I asked about him
sort of casually, and she said he had just come in and gone up to his
room. His father made some uncomplimentary remarks about him. Samuel
oughtn't to be so hard on him," William said thoughtfully; "he said he
had told Sam that he supposed he might look forward to supporting him
for the rest of his life--'as if he were a criminal or an idiot.'
Imagine a father saying a thing like that!" William lifted his lantern
and turned the wick up. "Now, I'm only hard on him when he is a goose;
but his father--What was that?"
William King stood bolt upright, motionless, his lips parted. Mrs.
Richie caught at his arm, and the lantern swinging sharply, scattered
a flying shower of light; they were both rigid, straining their ears,
not breathing. There was no sound except the vague movement of the
leaves overhead, and faintly, from across the meadow--"Bob-white!
bob-white!"
"I thought--I heard--" the doctor said in a whisper. Helena, clutching
at his arm, reeled heavily against him.
"Yes. It was. That was what it was."
"No! Impossible!" he stammered. And they stood listening breathlessly;
then, just as the strain began to relax, down through the darkness
from the house behind the trees came a cry: "Dr. King--"
An instant later the sound of flying steps on the gravel, and a girl's
shrill voice: "Dr. King!"
"Here, Lydia!" William said, running towards the little figure;
"what's the matter!"
Helena, in the shadow of the gate-post, only caught a word: "Sam--"