The warm, light kitchen remained untenanted for perhaps twenty minutes,
when Jovial, with his Dinah on his arm and a lantern in his hand,
entered, Jovial grumbling: "Law-a-mity knows, I don't see what she should be a-wantin' to come here
for! partic'lar arter de treatment she 'ceived from ole mis'tess las'
night! tain't sich a par'dise nohow for nobody--much less for she! Hi,
'oman!" he suddenly cried, turning the rays of the lantern in all
directions, though the kitchen was quite light enough without them.
"What de matter now, ole man?" asked Dinah.
"Where Nora? I lef' her here an' she aint here now! where she gone?"
"Hi, ole man, what you ax me for? how you 'spect I know?"
"Well, I 'clare ef dat don't beat eberyting!"
"Maybe she done gone back in de house ag'in!" suggested Dinah.
"Maybe she hab; I go look; but stop, first let me look out'n de door to
see if she went away," said Jovial, going to the door and holding the
lantern down near the ground.
"Yes, Dinah, 'oman, here day is; little foot-prints in de snow a-goin'
away from de house an' almost covered up now! She done gone! Now don't
dat beat eberything? Now she'll be froze to death, 'less I goes out in
de storm to look for her; an' maybe she'll be froze anyway; for dere's
no sartainty 'bout my findin' of her. Now aint dat a trial for any
colored gentleman's narves! Well den, here goes! Wait for me here, ole
'omen, till I come back, and if I nebber comes, all I leabes is yourn,
you know," sighed the old man, setting down the lantern and beginning to
button up his great coat preparatory to braving the storm.
But at this moment a figure came rushing through the snow towards the
kitchen door.
"Here she is now; now, ole 'oman! get de gruel ready!" exclaimed Jovial,
as the snow-covered form rushed in. "No, it aint, nyther! Miss Hannah!
My goodness, gracious me alibe, is all de worl' gone ravin', starin',
'stracted mad to-night? What de debil fotch you out in de storm at
midnight?" he asked, as Hannah Worth threw off her shawl and stood in
their midst.
"Oh, Jovial! I am looking for poor Nora! Have you seen anything of her?"
asked Hannah anxiously.
"She was here a-sittin' by dat fire, not half an hour ago. And I lef her
to go and fetch my ole 'oman to get somefin hot, and when I come back,
jes' dis wery minute, she's gone!"