"Electra!"
"I am here."
"No letter."
She stood motionless a moment; but the brick walls opposite, the trees, the lamp-posts spun around, like maple leaves in an autumn gale.
"My owlet! why don't you have a light and some fire?"
He stumbled toward her, and put his hand on her shoulder; but she shrank away, and, lighting the gas, rang for coal.
"There is something terrible the matter; Russell is either ill or dead. I must go to him."
Just, then the door-bell rang sharply; she supposed it was some brother-artist coming to spend an hour, and turned to go.
"Wait a minute; I want to——" He paused, for at that instant she heard a voice which, even amid the din of Shinar, would have been unmistakable to her, and breaking from him, she sprang to the threshold and met her cousin.