You didn't send for me, Dick," she made gentle answer. "But I think you
wanted me all the same."

He groaned. "Wanted you! I've--craved for you. You told the squire?"

"Yes. He said--"

He broke in upon her with fierce bitterness. "He was pleased of course! I
knew he would be. That's why I couldn't send the message to him. It had
to be you."

"Dick! Dick! He wasn't pleased! You don't know what you're saying. He was
most terribly sorry." She put her arm through his with a very tender
gesture. "Won't you take me inside and tell me all about it?" she said.

He gave a hard shudder. "I don't know if I can, Juliet. It's been--so
awful. He suffered--so infernally. The doctor didn't want to give him
morphia--said it would hasten the end." He stamped in a sort of impotent
frenzy. "I stood over him and made him. It was just what I wanted to do.
It was--it was--beyond endurance."

"Oh, my dear!" she said.

He put his hands over his face. "Juliet,--it was--hell!" he said
brokenly. "When I wrote that note to you--I thought the worst was over.
But it wasn't--it wasn't! He was past speaking--but his eyes--they kept
imploring me to let him go.--O God, I'd given my soul to help him! And I
could do--nothing--except see him die!"

Again a convulsive shudder caught him. Juliet's arms went around him. She
held his head against her breast.

"It's over now," she whispered. "Thank God for that!"

He leaned upon her for a space. "Yes, it's over. At least he died in
peace," he said, and drew a hard, quivering breath. Then he stood up
again. "Juliet, I'm so sorry. Come inside! I'll light the lamp. I
couldn't stand that empty house--with only my boy's dead body in it. Mrs.
Rickett has been there, but she's gone now." He turned and pushed open
the door. "Wait a minute while I light up!"

She did not wait, but followed him closely, and stood beside him while
he lighted a lamp on the wall. He turned from doing so and smiled at
her, and she saw that though his face was ghastly, he was his own
master again.

"How did you get here?" he said. "Who took the note? The doctor promised
to get it delivered."

"Jack brought it," she said. "I came back with him."

"Jack!" His brows drew together suddenly. She saw his black eyes gleam.
For a moment he said nothing further. Then: "If--Jack comes anywhere near
me to-night, I shall kill him!" he said very quietly.

"Dick!" she said in amazement.

There was a certain awful intentness in his look.