There he was, standing under the moaning branches, his head bare, digging wildly and aimlessly about the roots, peering at every lump of earth with his insane gaze, ready to believe that he had at last come upon that nameless thing for which he sought.
And while he dug furiously into the earth, Elizabeth Mellen knelt by the window-seat watching him; and Elsie lay upon the floor, so utterly prostrated that she could only cry out to Elizabeth at intervals in her sharp, discordant voice:
"Is he there yet—is he there?"
"Still there," she answered.
"What is he doing?"
"Digging, digging! He is on the wrong side of the tree."
Elsie gave a sigh of relief.
"No, no," continued Elizabeth; "he stops to throw the earth back—he is going farther round."
"Has he found the place—has he?"
"Not yet."