come. The scene needs no
special narration. Vain words and wishes, oaths and curses, filled John
Grimbal's mouth. He stamped on the floor, finding it impossible to
remain motionless, roared the others down, loaded the miller with bitter
reproaches for his blindness, silenced Mr. Blee on every occasion when
he attempted to join the discussion. The man, in fine, exhibited that
furious, brute passion and rage to be expected from such a nature
suddenly faced with complete dislocation of cherished hopes. His life
had been a long record of success, and this tremendous reverse, on his
first knowledge of it, came near to unhinge John Grimbal's mind. Storm
succeeded storm, explosion followed upon explosion, and the thought of
the vanity of such a display only rendered him more frantic. Then chance
reminded the raging maniac of that thing he had done, and now, removed
from the deed by a little time, he gloried in it.

"Blast the devil--short shrift he got--given straight into my hand! I
swore to kill him when I heard it; an' I have--pitched him over the
bridge and broken his blasted neck. I'd burn in ragin' hell through ten
lifetimes to do it again. But that's done once for all. And you can tell
your whore of a daughter she's a widow, not a wife!"

"God be gude to us!" cried Billy, while Mr. Lyddon started in dismay.
"Is this true you'm tellin'? Blue murder? An' so, like's not, his awn
mother'll find un when she goes to draw water in the marnin'!"

"Let her, and his sister, too; and my God-damned brother! All in
it--every cursed one of 'em. I'd like--I'd like--Christ--"

He broke off, was silent for a moment, then strode out of the room
towards the staircase. Mr. Lyddon heard him and rushed after him with
Billy. They scrambled past and stood at the stair-foot while Grimbal
glanced up in the direction of Phoebe's room, and then glared at the two
old men.

"Why not, you doddering fools? Can you still stand by her, cursed jade
of lies? My work's only half done! No man's ever betrayed me but he's
suffered hell for it; and no woman shall."

He raged, and the two with beating hearts waited for him.

Then suddenly laughing aloud, the man turned his back, and passed into
the night without more words.

"Mad, so mad as any zany!" gasped Mr. Blee. "Thank God the whim's took
un to go. My innards was curdlin' afore him!"

The extravagance of Grimbal's rage had affected Mr. Lyddon also. With
white and terrified face he crept after Gr