Then he drew a chair to the fire and, sitting down, took up his pipe and tried to light it, but Hermione’s nervous white fingers had packed it too tightly for mortal suction, whereat he sighed and, yielding to the impossible, sat with it in his hand, lost in happy thought and waiting for the swift light footsteps he yearned to hear.
The clock in the hall without struck midnight, but long after the mellow chime had died away he sat there waiting; but the great house lay very still about him, and no sound broke the pervading quiet. Wherefore at last he grew restless, frowned at the dying fire, and his strong fingers clenched themselves fiercely about the pipe they still held.
All at once he started, rose to his feet, and turned toward the door eager-eyed, as a hand knocked softly; before he could speak it opened, and Mrs. Trapes reappeared; she was clad in a long flannel dressing gown, and as she paused in the shadows by the door he could vaguely define that she still held the precious watch to her ear.
“It do tick that musical,” she said, “an’ I can’t sleep this night till I’ve tried t’ thank ye both for—for all your goodness to a lonely woman. Ah, Mr. Geoffrey, I guess th’ day as you came seekin’ lodgin’s at my little flat was a good day for Ann Angelina Trapes—why, my land, Mr. Geoffrey—ain’t Hermy here?”
“No,” answered Ravenslee a little bitterly. “Oh, no, I’m quite alone—as usual, Mrs. Trapes.”
“Why, now, that’s queer!”
“How queer?”
“Because I’ve jest been into her bedroom, an’ there’s her things—except that nightdress—but she—ain’t!”
“Not there? She must be! Did you look in—her bed?”
“Lord, Mr. Geoffrey—her bed ain’t been tetched!”
“Then where in the world is she?”
“Well,” said Mrs. Trapes, consulting her watch again, “it is now exactly fifteen and three-quarter minutes after midnight, so I guess she’s in bed somewhere. But this is a big house, an’ there’s lots of bedrooms, so if I was you, I’d go an’ look—till I found her—”
Ravenslee was at the door so swiftly that Mrs. Trapes started, and she saw his eyes were very bright, and the hands he laid on her bony shoulders were quivering.
“Mrs. Trapes,” said he, “I will!”
Then he stooped, very suddenly, and kissed the thin, grey hair above her grim eyebrow, and so—was gone.
“Find her?” mused Mrs. Trapes, glancing after him up the wide stairs. “Why, yes, I guess he will sure find her—where she should have been weeks ago. Lord, what a silly, beautiful, lovely thing love is!” and she stood awhile smiling down into the fire, and her smile was very tender.
Then she sighed, switched off the lights, and went softly away.
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