Helbeck of Bannisdale, vol 2 | Page 4

of about nine years old. She was quite colourless, but she was not crying. Her eyes still had the look of terror that the sight of the works had called up in them, and she started at every sound. Laura was kneeling beside her, trying to make her drink some tea. The child kept pushing the tea away, but her other hand held fast to Laura's arm. On the further side of the table sat two elderly women.
"Laura, there's only just time!" said Polly softly, putting her head through the door.
The child started painfully, and the cup Laura held was with difficulty saved from falling.
Laura stooped and kissed the little one's cheek.
"Dear, will you let me go now? Mrs. Dixon will take care of you--and I'll come and see you again soon."
Nelly began to breathe fast. She caught Laura's sleeve with both hands.
"Don't you go, Miss--I'll not stay with her." She nodded towards her landlady.
"Now, Nelly, you must be a good girl," said Mrs. Dixon, rising and coming forward--she was a strange, ugly woman, with an almost bald head--"you must do what your poor papa wud ha wished you to do. Let the lady go, an I'll take care on you same as one o' my own, till they can come and take you to the House."
"Oh! don't say that!" cried Laura.
But it was too late. The child had heard the word--had understood it.
She looked wildly from one to the other, then she threw herself against the side of the chair, in a very madness of crying. Now, she pushed even Laura away. It seemed as though at the sound of that one word she had felt herself indeed forsaken, she had become acquainted with her grief.
Laura's eyes filled with tears.
Polly, standing at the door, spoke to her in vain.
* * * * *
"There's another train--Mr. Seaton said so!" Laura threw the words over her shoulder as though in anger. Hubert Mason stood behind her. In her excitement it seemed to her that he was dragging her by force from this sobbing and shrieking misery before her.
"I don't believe he's right. I never heard of any train later than the 7.10," said Mason, in perplexity.
"Go and ask him."
Mason went away and returned.
"Of course he swears there is. You won't get Seaton to say he's mistaken in a hurry. All I know is I never heard of it."
"He must be right," said Laura obstinately. "Don't trouble about me--send a cab. Oh!"
She put her hands to her ears for an instant, as they stood by the door, as though to shut out the child's cries. Hubert looked down upon her, hesitating, his face flushed, his eyes drawn and sombre.
"Now--you'll let me take you home, Miss Laura? It'll be very late for you. I can get back to-morrow."
She looked up suddenly.
"No, _no_!" she said, almost stamping. "I can get home alone quite well. I want no one."
Then she caught the lad's expression--and put her hand to her brow a moment.
"Come back for me now at any rate--in an hour," she said in another voice. "Please take me to the train--of course. I must go then."
"Oh, Laura, I _can't_ wait!" cried Polly from the stairs--"I wish I could. But mother's sending Daffady with the cart--and she'd be that cross."
Laura came out to the stairway.
"Don't wait. Just tell the carriage--mind"--she hung over the banisters, enforcing the words--"tell them that I'm coming by the later train. They're not to send down for me again--I can get a cab at the inn. Mind, Polly,--did you hear?"
She bent forward, caught Polly's assent, and ran back to the child.
* * * * *
An hour later Mason found Laura with little Nelly lying heavily asleep in her arms. At sight of him she put finger on lip, and, rising, carried the child to her bed. Tenderly she put her down--tenderly kissed the little hand. The child's utter sleep seemed to soothe her, for she turned away with a smile on her blanched lips. She gave money to Mrs. Starr, who was to nurse the little one for a week, and then, it seemed to Mason, she was all alacrity, all eagerness to go.
"Oh! but we're late!" she said, looking at her watch in the street. And she hastily put her head out of the window and implored the cabman to hurry.
Mason said nothing.
The station, when they reached it, was in a Saturday night ferment. Trains were starting and arriving, the platforms were packed with passengers.
Mason said a word to a porter as they rushed in. The porter answered; then, while they fled on, the man stopped a moment and looked back as though about to run after them. But a dozen passengers with luggage laid hands upon him at once, and he was left with no time for more than