e.

And then, as he did intermittently after every wave of thought, he
remembered that Peter was in love with Rose, he recalled the gay
certainty of the boy when he had said he could make her happy, and he
saw her in Peter's arms. And this was jealousy.

At once he rose to his feet and listened. A step was coming nearer,
heavy and halting, pausing for frequent rests. The familiar sound of it
and the appeal of a presence not yet known made him knit his brows and
peer forward through the dark. When the step ceased again, for an
interval, he cried out, "Grannie!"

"Why, dear, you there?" called grannie.

He ran to her and put his arm about her, and so they came onward to the
chair which had been a throne for Rose. When she had sunken into it, he
began to scold her gently. She had not been so far from home for many a
day. She had chosen night and a rough path. Why did she do it?

"I had to see you, dear," said grannie. "Maybe I didn't consider how
hard it would be, but when I started out, I wasn't thinking much about
my aches and pains. I had to see you. So I just dressed me and came."

"But, grannie, it's the middle of the night!"

"Yes, child, I suppose it is. Night or day, it's all one. Osmond, her
father's going to take her away from here."

"Rose!"

"Yes, dear, she's going. Do you think it's best to let her go with him?"

"No! It's outrageous and impossible."

"I thought you'd say so. Well, Osmond, she meant to go away to-morrow
morning without seeing you. But she sent you her love. It seemed to me
that.... So I thought you'd better have it to-night."

She heard him breathing heavily, but he did not speak. Once he walked
away from her and back again.

"What has made her want to go?"

"She doesn't want it. But he has worked upon her. He's told her she is
bad; some dreadful things I guess he said. I don't believe in that man,
Osmond. I never did, first minute I laid eyes on him."

"No, grannie, he's not to be believed."

"I thought maybe you'd better have the night-time to think it over in.
You may want to do something."

"Grannie, what can I do?"

"I don't know, son. But you're the head of the house."

Again he strode away on his impatient march, and grannie waited and
prayed a little, and thought how her knees ached and how she hoped God
would help him. He was back again.

"You know how it is with me?" he said roughly.

"Yes, child."

"It's a big proposition."

"It's the biggest there is,