moved
the leaves. Cindy, on her part, was lost in the fascination of some
neighbouring kitchen.

And Faith at first had been lost in her study. But the sounding of
eight o'clock struck on more than the air, and she found, though she
tried, she could not shut herself up in her book any more. Mrs. Derrick
slept profoundly; her breathing only made the house seem more still.
Faith went to the window to look, and then for freer breath and vision
went to the door. It was not moonlight; only the light of the stars was
abroad, and that still further softened by the haze or a mistiness of
the air which made it thicker still. Faith could see little, and could
hear nothing, though eyes and ears tried well to penetrate the still
darkness of the road, up and down. It was too chill to stay at the
porch, now with this mist in the air; and reluctantly she came back to
the sitting-room, her mother sleeping on the sofa, her open study book
under the lamp, the Chinese lantern in its packing paper. Faith had no
wish to open it now. There was no reason to fear anything, that she
knew; neither was she afraid; but neither could she rest. Half past
eight struck. She went to the window again, and very gravely sat down
by it.

She had sat there but few minutes when there came a rush of steps into
the porch, and Cindy burst into the little sitting-room, almost too out
of breath to speak.

"Here's a proclamation!" she said--"Mr. Linden's been shot at dreadful,
and Jem Waters is down to fetch Dr. Harrison. I'm free to confess they
say he aint dead yet."

With which pleasing announcement, Cindy rushed off again, out of the
room and out of the house, being seized with a sudden fear that Jem
Waters would forestall her in spreading the news. The noise had awaked
Mrs. Derrick, and she sat looking at Faith as if she was first in her
thoughts. Faith stood before her with a colourless face, but perfectly
quiet, though at first she looked at her mother without speaking.

"Come here, pretty child," said her mother, "and sit down by me."

"Mother," said Faith,--but she would not have known her own
voice,--"something has happened."

But the way Mrs. Derrick's arms came round her, said that she too had
heard.

"Where can he be, mother?" said Faith gently disengaging herself.

"I don't know, child."

Faith was already at the door.

"Faith!" her mother said, following her with a quick step,--"stop,
child!"

Faith put back a hand as if to stop _h