"Good God!" he cried, springing to his feet and overturning the chair in
which he sat. Then grasping the small table with both hands he leaned
across it and peered at the door, his face graying with each second that
passed. She stood there, looking at him, such terror in her eyes that it
made him tremble, absolutely fearless though he was. She wore a dark
dress, and a dark veil was wound about her head, leaving the white oval
of her face, with its terror-haunted eyes. The next moment she had
entered the room and shut the door behind her, and was coming towards
him like a sweet wraith. Yet he could say nothing. He had yearned for
her and called her in his soul, and she was before him now! There were
new lines upon his troubled face, for he could not understand. What
could it mean? It was past midnight; between one and two o'clock, he
knew. She was alone. These were his apartments. He slept in the one
where they now stood. She stopped within arm's length, pale and scared,
her large eyes burning with the burden of the secret she carried. She
spoke first, hurriedly and low. The sound of her voice brought John to
his senses.
"Has he come? Has he come?" she asked, in a half whisper, while the
interlaced fingers over her breast writhed from the stress of her
emotion.
"Dear Miss Julia!" responded Glenning, taking her by the arm, "pray be
seated--but no, you _must_ not stay here a moment! I--what is it? What
is wrong?"
"Has he been here? Oh, tell me! Has anything happened?"
Glenning got into his coat as he answered.
"I have just come in. I went into the country after leaving you. Who is
it? Marston again?"
A sob, half hysterical, struggled from the girl's throat.
"Yes--yes! He will come! He said he would! He's determined to kill you!
Oh! I couldn't stand it!"
She put her hands over her eyes, and shivered.
"Who is with you, Miss Julia? You must not remain here another moment.
You know walls have ears and eyes, even at this hour of the night. Who
came with you?"
"No one; who could come with me? But you! You must not stay here
tonight. Perhaps he came and found you were out. He will return, Promise
me!"
Before he could answer they heard a sound which each knew; the pounding
hoofs of a horse ridden at full speed.
"It is he!" gasped Julia, her face colourless as marble. "It is too
late!"
The hard-ridden horse stopped below with a crash and a rattle of small
stones.
"Courage!" whispered John, leaning towards the girl. "Trust me; all will
be well!"
Turning the lamp low, he quickly bore it into the front office and
placed it upon his desk there in a far corner of the room. In an instant
he was by her side again and had her hand in his, and even in the peril
of that moment he felt her clinging to him, and his heart exulted. The
apartment was now in almost total darkness.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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