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Rivers very well, and the Wilmots taking care of him, and Margaret as comfortable as usual, Mary making a most important and capable little housekeeper, Miss Bracy as good as possible. He talked as if they had all nourished the better for Ethel's absence, but he had evidently missed her greatly, as he showed, without knowing it, by his instant eagerness to have her to himself.
Corey, Hester's been with us an hour, and we're waiting for Mopsy. She said she'd come as soon as she finished her practising." "She stopped practising some time ago," said Mrs. Corey. "I haven't heard the piano for half an hour or more." "I'll bet she's tucked away somewhere, reading!" exclaimed King; "I'll hunt her out!" "Perhaps she's gone over to Cousin Ethel's," suggested Mrs. Maynard.
And as she sat there in the age-worn parlour, and thought of the distant days of his energy, when with his own hands he had pulled down a wall and replaced it by a glass partition, and of the night when he lay like a corpse on Ethel's bed at the mercy of his nephew, and of Aunt Hannah resting in the cold tomb just at the end of the street, her heart was filled for a moment with an awful, ineffable, devastating sadness.
Then there was the noise of rushing men, and Girasole's voice arose. He heard all that followed. Then Ethel's shriek sounded out, as she sprang toward the grave. In an instant the occupant of the grave, seizing the lid, raised it up, and with a wild yell sprang forth. The effect was tremendous. The brigands thought the dead Antonio had come to life.
As he stood there he resembled more than anything a beautiful tiger-cat, a wonderful thing of strength and will-power, indomitable and insatiate. Yet who could tell whether this strength was not, after all, parasitic. If Ethel's suspicions were justified, then, indeed, more had been taken from him than he could ever realise.
And, lest dear Ethel's feelings should be needlessly agitated by a discussion of the subject, and the Colonel should take a fancy to write to her privately, Lady Kew gave orders that all letters from London should be despatched under cover to her ladyship, and carefully examined the contents of the packet before Ethel received her share of the correspondence.
"By Jove!" ejaculated Harvey as he examined Ethel's ankle and pronounced it a compound fracture, "you're all right, Miss Casey, first to staunch the blood and bandage her arm, and second to bind her ankle in such a surgeon-like manner, say nothing of carrying her on your back for over a mile and a half and holding her leg so that you saved her pain. I take off my hat to you, Miss Casey.
'That's the boy who was sent from the Antipodes, that he might not be spoilt! quoth Aubrey, as the Doctor followed the child into the carriage. 'Granting reasonable wishes is not spoiling, said Ethel. 'May the system succeed as well with Dickie as with and Aubrey in one flourish indicated Gertrude and himself. 'Ay, we shall judge by the reception of Ethel's tidings! cried Gertrude.
Davenport declared to the other ladies, as Ethel and Richard started for an afternoon drive together. "She will not know anything more when she brings him back." But in this Mrs. Davenport did wrong to Ethel's resources. The young wife did know something more when she brought her husband back from their drive through the pleasant country.
He had no right to expect to come out safe " and then he grasped tightly hold of Ethel's hands, and, as if the terror had suddenly flashed on him, asked her, with dilated eye and trembling voice, whether she were sure that he was safe, and held the faith. Ethel repeated his asseveration, and her father covered his face with his hands in thanksgiving.
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