“Yes,” said Mr Braine, moodily. “But—”
“For Heaven’s sake, do not raise difficulties, man,” cried the doctor. “We can do nothing to-night, but rest and gain strength for any trouble which may come to-morrow.—My dear,” he continued to his wife, “you will stay with Mrs Barnes to-night; she and Amy will be glad, I am sure, of your company.”
“Indeed yes,” cried the doctor’s wife, gratefully.
“I can do no good, Barnes, so I will go on with Murray here, and bring back Frank. You will send to me if there is the slightest need. There, good-night, all. This has been a scare, but it may have had its crisis, and a few days hence, I hope we shall all be laughing at our fright.”
He shook hands, and moved towards the door.
“Now, Greig, Murray,” he said.
But Murray was standing grasping Mrs Barnes’s hand, “Tell her,” he whispered, “that some means shall be devised to save her from such another insult as this.”
Mrs Barnes pressed his hand; and then hastily shaking hands with Mrs Braine and the doctor, he hurried out into the garden and joined the others, after which the Greigs went to their own place.
“Those boys will think we are never coming,” Murray said, speaking more cheerily now.
“Well, we will soon relieve their anxiety,” replied Mr Braine. “Come, that’s better. We must not treat this as a panic, and exaggerate the difficulty of our position.”