"I trust I am not in the way," said Clara.
Whereupon he made another attempt with his arm, but when he thought he had caught his prize, Emmeline was again within his grasp.
"And my mother?" he then said. It must be remembered that he had only yet been in the room for three minutes, though his little efforts have taken longer than that in the telling.
"She is up stairs, and you are to go to her. But I told her that we should keep you for a quarter of an hour, and you have not been here half that time yet."
"And how has she borne all this?"
"Why, well on the whole. When first she heard it this morning, which she did before any of us, you know—"
"Oh, yes, I wrote to her."
"But your letter told her nothing. Mr. Somers came down almost as soon as your letter was here. He had heard also—from Mr. Prendergast, I think it was, and Mr. Prendergast said a great deal more than you did."
"Well?"
"We thought she was going to be ill at first, for she became so very pale,—flushing up sometimes for half a minute or so; but after an hour or two she became quite calm. She has seen nobody since but us and Aunt Letty."