The shivering of glass as the fragments of a pane fell tinkling upon the
carpet.
The shivering of glass as the little crystal fell from Horace North's
hand, and a pungent odour filled the room.
"Mary Salis! or am I mad indeed?" ejaculated the wretched man.
He stood motionless, staring at the window as a white arm was forced
through the broken glass, and the catch thrust back, but not so quickly
but that a deep red stain had time to show; for the jagged glass made an
ugly gash above the white wrist, though it was unheeded, and the
casement was flung open.
"The door--open that door!" North did not stir, but stood gazing wildly
at the pallid face before him, and then he passed his hands across his
eyes and tottered to the window, as if drawn there by the eyes which
gazed into his.
"Quick! the door--open this door!" was panted forth.
He obeyed mechanically without taking his eyes from the window, feeling
his way to the door, and slowly opening it, to stand gazing at Mary
Salis, as she caught his hands in hers.
"What were you going to do?" she cried piteously. "You, too, of all
men! You must be mad--you must be mad!"
"Yes," he said vacantly; "they say so. I must be mad, or is--is it
past--a dream? Mary Salis--you!"
"What's that?" cried Mary excitedly, as the sound of the breaking door
was heard. North uttered a sigh.
"They are coming," he cried, "and I shall be too late. Loose my arm--
loose my arm!"
"No, no, no!" panted Mary, as she flung herself upon his breast. "It is
what I feared; I believed it, and I came. Oh, for pity's sake, don't do
that!"
"Yes: I must. You do not know," he whispered hoarsely, as he tried to
unlace her arms from about him.
"Yes, I know that you were about to commit self-murder, and you shall
not do this thing," cried Mary wildly.
"Would you see me dragged away to a living death?" he said. "Listen--do
you not hear? Loose me, I say!"
He spoke almost savagely now, as he struggled to get the enlacing hands
away; but, as he tore at them, Mary clung the closer, drawing herself
more tightly to his breast as her face approached his, and her lips
parted, her eyes dilated, and she cried as wildly:
"Then kill me too!" He ceased struggling to look at the flushed,
love-illumined face that approached his, unable to grasp the whole
meaning of what was said, mentally incapable of interpreting the words
and looks, the whole scene being like the phantasm of some delirious
fit.
A louder crack of the baize door aroused him, and he started away.
"Don't you hear?" he whispered. "Don't you hear?"
"Yes," cried Mary, still clinging to him; "I hear, and it is help."
"No, no!" he whispered; "it is those men. Ah, I am too late!"
For at that moment there was a sharp rustling of the bushes, and a man
ran up over the lawn, to pause bewildered at the scene before him.
"You, miss--here?" he panted breathlessly. "Old Missus Milt said as the
maddus folk was taking the doctor away."
"What?" cried Mary; and a mist floated before her eyes.
"The maddus folk, miss; and they've got a carriage round the front."
With a strength that was almost superhuman, Mary recovered herself, and
grasping the situation, she whispered to North:
"Is this true?"
"Listen," he said.
Mary clung to him tightly as the sounds of the doors being forced bore
unanswerable witness to the words; and then, as if to shield him from
the threatened danger, she thrust him from her and followed across the
surgery.
"No, no!" she panted. "Quick, before it is too late."
"Go?" he said, in answer to her frenzied appeal.
"Yes, yes; quick--quick! The garden--the meadows."
North seemed dazed, but Joe Chegg, who had run excitedly to the Manor
after meeting the old housekeeper, more with the idea of seeing what was
going on than affording help, now caught North's arm and hurried him out
of the surgery and down the nearest path, then in and out among the
dense shrubs, so that they were well out of sight before the door
yielded, and Cousin Thompson's emissaries found their prey had gone.
North made no opposition to the efforts of those who held him on either
side; but, weak with long fasting, and now utterly dazed, he staggered
from time to time, and would have fallen but for the sustaining arms.
"Rect'ry, miss? All right," said Joe Chegg. "Hold up, sir, or you'll
be down."
For North had made a lurch, and clung wildly to the sturdy young fellow.
"Oh, try--pray try!" moaned Mary, as she gazed back. "Now; I'll help
all I can."
"I'll manage him," said Joe, who took the appeal to himself. "You let
him lean on me. Why, I thought, miss, as how you couldn't walk."
"Hush! don't speak. They may hear us," whispered Mary, gazing fearfully
back as they pressed on through the meadows with the bottom of the
Rectory garden still a couple of hundred yards away, when, as Mary
glanced sidewise at North, she saw his eyes close, and at the same
moment his legs gave way, and he sank towards the grass.
Mary uttered a piteous groan and gazed at Chegg, who had loosened his
hold on North's arm, and now stood with hat raised, scratching his head.
"Now, if some one else was here," he muttered; and then, in answer to an
unspoken question, he cried aloud: "Well, I d'know, miss; but, anyhow,
I'll try."
A life of toil had made the young fellow's muscles pretty tough, or else
he could not have risen so sturdily after kneeling down, and, contriving
to get North upon his shoulder, to start off once more, with Mary urging
him to use every exertion, for a shout from behind had thrilled her, and
on looking back it was to see two men coming along the meadow at a quick
trot, while a third was walking swiftly behind.
Volume 3, Chapter XX.