God help, you,
Miss Hallam!"
Elizabeth answered with a low cry, and Martha watched her a moment
hastening through the rain and darkness, ere she turned back toward
the chapel to wait for Ben.
A new terror seized Elizabeth as she returned. What if Jasper had
locked the doors? How would it be possible for her to account for her
strange absence from the house at that hour? But Antony had also
thought of this, and after the main doors had been closed he had softly
undone a side entrance, and watched near it for his sister's return.
His punishment begun when he saw her wretched condition; but there
was no time then for either apologies or reproaches.
"Eat," she said, putting the basket before him; "and Ben will be at
the gates with his tax-cart. He will take you to Whitehaven."
"Can I trust Ben?"
She looked at him sadly. "You must have been much wronged, Antony,
to doubt the Cravens."
"I have."
"God pity and pardon you."
He ate in silence, glancing furtively at his sister, who sat white
and motionless opposite him. There was no light but the fire-light;
and the atmosphere of the room had that singular sensitiveness that
is apparent enough when the spiritual body is on the alert. It felt
full of "presence;" was tremulous, as if stirred by wings; and seemed
to press heavily, and to make sighing a relief.
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