He retraced his steps to the floor
below. In the hall he paused and glanced about him. He seemed
to feel her presence--and very near--to-morrow she would enter
there as Norton's wife. With his pack under his arm he entered
the dining-room in search of Jeff.
"Tell your master I have gone to Memphis," he said briefly.
"Ain't yo' goin' to have a hoss, Mas'r Carrington?" demanded Jeff
in some surprise. He had come to regard the Kentuckian as a
fixture.
"No," said Carrington. "Good-by, Jeff," he added, turning away.
But when he left Thicket Point he did not take the Memphis road,
but the road to Belle Plain. Walking rapidly, he reached the
entrance to the lane within the hour. Here he paused
irresolutely, it was as if the force of his purpose had already
spent itself. Then he tossed his pack into a fence corner and
kept on toward the house.
CHAPTER XXII
AT THE CHURCH DOOR
There was the patter of small feet beyond Betty's door, and
little Steve, who looked more like a nice fat black Cupid than
anything else, rapped softly; at the same time he effected to
squint through the keyhole.
"Supper served, Missy," he announced, then he turned no less than
seven handsprings in the upper hall and slid down the balustrade
to the floor below. He was far from being a model house servant.
His descent was witnessed by the butler. Now in his own youth
big Steve with as fair a field had cut similar capers, yet he was
impelled by his sense of duty to do for his grandson what his own
father had so often done for him, and in no perfunctory manner.
Pages:
245
246
247
248
249
250
251
252
253
254
255
256
257
258
259
260
261
262
263
264
265
266
267
268
269