she hurried to the door to call
out to Dulcie, who was coming back over the bridge towards the house,
running as fast as she could:

"What's the matter, Dulcie?"

"Oh, mother--mother--" the child panted, running up the road, "father
wants you to come over to Mrs. Googe's right off, as quick as you
can--he says not to stop for anything--"

The words were scarcely out of her mouth before Mrs. Caukins, without
heeding Aileen, was hurrying down the road. The little girl, wholly out
of breath, threw herself down exhausted on the grass before the door.
Aileen and Doosie ran out to her.

"What is it, Dulcie--can't you tell me?" said Aileen.

Between quickened breaths the child told what she knew.

"Luigi stopped to speak to Mr. Emlie--and Mr. Emlie said something
dreadful for Flamsted--had happened--and Luigi looked all of a sudden so
queer and pale,"--she sat up, and in the excitement and importance of
imparting such news forgot her over-exertion,--"and Mr. Emlie said
father was telling Mrs. Googe--and he was afraid it would kill her--and
then father came to the door looking just like Luigi, all queer and
pale, and Mr. Emlie says, 'How is she?' and father shook his head and
said, 'It's her death blow,' then I squeezed Luigi's hand to make him
look at me, and I asked him what it was Mrs. Googe's was sick of, for I
must go and tell mother--and he looked at Mr. Emlie and he nodded and
said, 'It's town talk already--it's in the papers.' And then Luigi told
me that Mr. Champney Googe had been stealing, Aileen!--and if he got
caught he'd have to go to prison--then father sent me over home for
mother and told me to run, and I've run so--Oh, Aileen!"

It was a frightened cry, and her twin echoed it. While Aileen Armagh was
listening with shortened breaths to the little girl, she felt as if she
were experiencing the concentrated emotions of a lifetime; as a result,
the revulsion of feeling was so powerful that it affected her
physically; her young healthy nerves, capable at other times of almost
any tension, suddenly played her false. The effect upon her of what she
heard was a severe nervous shock. She had never fainted in her life, nor
had she known the meaning of an hysterical mood; she neither fainted nor
screamed now, but began to struggle horribly for breath, for the shocked
heart began beating as it would, sending the blood in irregular spurts
through the already over-charged arteries. From time to time she groaned
hea