Julius had not ventured to leave the sick-room that whole day, and when at last he went home and sank into the chair opposite Terry, for the first time through all these weeks of trouble and tension, he burst into a flood of tears.
He had hardly made the startled lad understand that life, not death, had thus overcome him, when the door flew open, and in rushed Rosamond, crying, “Julius, Julius, come! It is he or his ghost!”
“Who? What?”
“It is your hair! At Mrs. Douglas’s grave! He’ll be gone! Make haste—make haste!”
He started up, letting her drag him along, but under protest. “My dear, men do come to have hair like mine.”
“I tell you it was at our graves—our own—I touched him. I had this wreath for Raymond, and there he was, with his hat off, at the railing close to Mrs. Douglas’s. I thought his back was yours, and called your name, and he started, and I saw—he had a white beard, but he was not old. He just bowed, and then went off very fast by the other gate, towards Wil’sbro’. I did call, ‘Wait, wait,’ but he didn’t seem to hear. Oh, go, go, Julius! Make haste!”
Infected by the wild hope, Julius hurried on the road where his wife had turned his face, almost deriding himself for obeying her, when he would probably only overtake some old family retainer; but as, under the arch of trees that overhung the road, he saw a figure in the moonlight, a thrill of recognition came over him as he marked the vigorous tread of the prime of life, and the white hair visible in the moonlight, together with something utterly indescribable, but which made him call out, “Archie! Archie Douglas! wait for me!”
The figure turned. “Julius!” came in response; the two cousins’ hands clasped, and there was a sob on either side as they kissed one another as brothers.
“Archie! How could you!—Come back!” was all that Julius could say, leaning breathlessly against him and holding him tight.
“No! Do not know that I have been here. I was sent to London on business. I could not help running home in the dark. No one must know it. I am dead to them.”