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The soft voice said: "All right, Dr. Vivian. Ready now!... Hello! All right...." "Hello," said Cally. Then all sounds faded away, and out of a sudden great desert of silence, she heard a man's voice, clear though it came all the way from Meeghan's Grocery, across the street from the old Dabney House, back home. "Hello?" Mr.
Dayne, whom, in common with most of the rest of the world, he admired immensely. Hanging up the receiver, Vivian purchased a five-cent box of blacking, a commodity not ranking among Meeghan's best sellers, and returned to make ready for his professional rounds.
Now her eye fell upon two lines written in the margin at the top of the first page, which she had missed before. They were in the writing of the envelope, and read: You can reach me at any time, day or night, through Meeghan's Grocery Jefferson 4127. The words sprang up at her, and she stared back at them fascinated. The man at the Dabney House was certain that she would tell now.
Within, Cally perceived that she had acted rather unreasonably, missing the opportunity to tell Mr. V.V. that she desired to speak with him: but that, of course, was only because she had not wanted to interrupt and detain two busy men at their labors. The oversight, besides, was easily to be remedied; though she did not again send the clear call for Meeghan's.
Quite distinctly, though he evidently was not addressing her, she heard the man's hard voice say: "This cannot be borne." And then in a different voice, there came these words over the miles from Meeghan's Grocery: "Miss Heth; I didn't see you when I should have and now we are just too late. I can't reach Dal now." "You don't mean?..." "He is dead." "Dead!"
He turned away, bareheaded in the mild January sunshine, and crossed to Meeghan's, where his telephone call proved to be from Rev. Mr. Dayne, desiring a personal conference later in the day. Cumbered with many cares though he was, the kind-faced Secretary of Charities had been captured at sight by Vivian's plan of buying the old Dabney House, and bringing it to life again as a great Settlement.
Mechanically she raised the receiver to the hook, for was not her talk with Meeghan's quite finished? Jack Dalhousie had killed himself.
Perhaps she thought of Hugo then; of perhaps the small unreconstructed corner of her mind grew more unrestful. "I'm not sure that I'll be able to go," she said, slowly.... "Dr. Vivian is your telephone number still the same Meeghan's Grocery? I I may want to speak to you some time." Yes, it was just the same. Meeghan's Grocery.
Sufficiently vague replies these; yet they seemed to leave the daughter in no doubt whatever that the matter which had all in a moment become dear to her heart was as good as settled. However the untutored voice at Meeghan's reported that Doctor was out on his rounds and not to be reached before one o'clock.
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