“Have you ever known Madala Grey fail yet? She’ll be all right. She’ll
pull it off—triumphantly. You see! But as for the book—if it comes——”
“When it comes,” corrected Mr. Flood.
“What’s that?” said Anita sharply.
There was a sound in the passage, a heavy sound of feet. It caught at my
heart. It was a sound that I knew. They had come tramping up the stairs
like that when they fetched away Mother. Thud—stumble—thud! I shivered.
But as the steps came nearer they belonged to but one man. The door
opened and the fog and the man entered together. Everyone turned to him
with a queer, long flash of faces.
“Kent!” cried Anita, welcoming him. Then her voice changed. “Kent!
What’s wrong? What is it?”
He shut the door behind him and stood, his back against it, staring at
us, like a man stupefied.