The loud ring at the door remained unanswered a few moments, for the servants had all retired. But the applicant without did not wait long before repeating the summons still more emphatically. Then they heard the library door open, and Mr. Arnot's heavy step in the hall, as he went himself to learn the nature of the untimely call. His wife's nervous timidity vanished at once, and she stepped forward to join her husband, while Laura stood looking out from the parlor entrance with a pale and frightened face. "Can it be bad news from home?" she thought. "Who is there?" demanded Mr. Arnot, sternly. "Me and Misther Haldane," answered a voice without in broadest brogue. "Mr. Haldane!" exclaimed Mr. Arnot excitedly; "what can this mean? Who is _me?_" he next asked loudly. "Me is Pat M'Cabe, sure; the same as tidies up the office and does yer irrinds. Mr. Haldane's had a bad turn, and I've brought him home." As Mr. Arnot swung open the door, a man, who seemingly had been leaning against it, fell prone within the hall. Laura gave a slight scream, and Mrs. Arnot was much alarmed, thinking that Haldane was suffering from some sudden and alarming attack. Thoughts of at once telegraphing to his mother were entering her mind, when the object of her solicitude tried to rise, and mumbled in the thick utterance of intoxication: "This isn't home. Take me to mother's." Mrs. Arnot's eyes turned questioningly to her husband, and she saw that his face was dark with anger and disgust. "He is drunk," he said, turning to Pat, who stood in the door, cap in hand. "Faix, sur, it looks moighty loike it. But it's not for a dacent sober man loike meself to spake sartainly o' sich matters." "Few words and to the point, sir," said Mr. Arnot harshly; "your breath tells where you have been. But where did you find this--and how came you to find him?" Either Mr. Arnot was at a loss for a term which would express his estimation of the young man, who had slowly and unsteadily risen, and was supporting himself by holding fast the hatrack, or he was restrained in his utterance by the presence of his wife. "Well, sur," said Pat, with as ingenuous and candid an air as if he were telling the truth, "the wife o' a neighbor o' mine was taken on a suddint, and I went for the docther, and as I was a comin' home, who shud I see sittin' on a doorsthep but Misther Haldane, and I thought it me duty to bring him home to yees." "You have done right. Was it on the doorstep of a drinking-place you found him?" "I'm athinkin' it was, sur; it had that sort o' look." Mr. Arnot turned to his wife and said coldly, "You now see how it works. But this is not a fit object for you and Laura to look upon; so please retire. I will see that he gets safely to his room. I suppose he must go there, though the station-house is the more proper place for him." "He certainly must go to his own room," said Mrs. Arnot, firmly but quietly.