"No one else gallops—canters—breaks speed limits!" he laughed. "Now what? More news?"
The same news over again, but Evangeline saw that which momentarily banished it from her mind. She saw John Bradford standing behind Miss Theodosia's chair; she saw him stoop over it.
"Mercy gracious, he kissed her!" gasped Evangeline. Something told her to turn and gallop back, but she could not stop in time. She was already at the foot of the steps. Awful embarrassment seized her—seized Evangeline! In the faint, reflected lamplight from within the house she could see the two above her looking down. Mercy gracious!
"Sit down, Evangeline."
"I'm s-sittin'—I think I'm sittin' down." Up-standings and down-sittings were confused in the general dizziness of things. Perhaps she was standing up.
"You're not sick, are you, Evangeline? You're not saying anything."
Then Evangeline said something.
"I—I saw him—doin' it, I mean. Mercy gracious, what'll I do?" For some inherited delicacy of instinct made of her a dreadful intruder; she saw herself in the shameful act. Instinctively Evangeline knew she was on sacred ground.
"I couldn't stop, I was goin' so fast. It's too late not to see him doin' it; I don't know what to do."
With swift, light steps Miss Theodosia was down beside her. John Bradford with one step was there. Evangeline looked shamefacedly up into their two kind faces.