Part 69 (1/2)
”Not--not the room where Rosa was murdered this day fifteen years ago?”
murmured the man, gazing around him. ”Am I delirious, then? It seems the very same room, only with different furniture.”
”It is the correspondial room in this wing. T'other room is in t'other wing,” explained Miss Tabby.
”And yet, what difference? what difference?” he murmured, restlessly.
”Mother,” whispered Miss Tabby, ”it seems to me as I've see a this man before.”
”Shouldn't wonder,” replied the old lady in a low tone. ”Mr. Horace Blondelle has been living at the Dubarry Springs, within ten miles of us, for the last thirteen or fourteen years, and it would be queer if you hadn't seen him before.”
”Queer or not, I never _did_ see Mr. Horace Blondelle, to know him as sich, in all my life before. And that an't what I mean neither, mother.
I have seen this man in a fright somewhere or other.”
”The man in a fright?”
”No; _me_ in a fright when I saw him.”
”Hus.h.!.+ don't whisper! See, it disturbs him,” said the old lady.
And in truth the wounded man had turned to listen to them, and was gazing uneasily from one to the other.
When they became silent, he beckoned Miss Tabby to approach.
She bent over him.
”Now, look at me well, old girl,” he whispered faintly, ”and see if you can't recollect when you met me last.”
”Ah!” screamed Miss Tabby, as if she had seen a ghost. ”It was on the night of the flood! And you reskeed of us!”
”That's so.”
”Well, then, my good gentleman, it ought to be a comfort and a conserlation to you, a laying wounded there, to reflect as how you _did_ reskee us from drownding that night,” said Miss Tabby, soothingly.
”I don't know as far as the rescuing of you is concerned, old girl, whether the act will be found set down on the debit or credit side of my account at the last day,” he said, with a gleam of his old humor sparkling up from beneath all his pain of mind and body.
”So this was the man,” said the old lady to herself, while Miss Libby and even Gem, looked at him with a new interest.
”Mr. Blondelle, can you tell me how you came to be wounded?” inquired the old lady.
”No, not now. I must save all my strength for what I have to say to the lawyer. Give me more brandy. And then let me alone,” he said, speaking faintly and with difficulty.
His request was complied with, and then the three old women, with Gem, withdrew to the fire.
The two laboring men came in from their errand and joined them at the fire.
”Did you catch Joe?” inquired the dame.
”Yes, mum, just as he was riding off. We had to run after him and shout; but we stopped him, and gave him your message.”