“No. I would not dare; but who is Ross?”
“Why, Ross is my brother; don’t you know him? At least they say he is.”
Before Miss Elsworth had time to reply, a shadow darkened the doorway, and looking up she saw Ross Graves standing there, looking straight into the girl’s face.
“Bessie.”
A shrill scream burst from the girl’s lips, and the wild light in her eyes grew deeper.
“I won’t go, I won’t go, and you can’t take me. I have promised to stay here and live with this beautiful lady.”
“Pardon me, Miss Elsworth, if I have troubled you, but you see we dare not let Bessie go where she will, for we do not know what will happen her. She is very reckless sometimes, and, beside, we have had a double fright this morning, for when we discovered that she had gone we looked around for a little revolver, that she delights in handling, and could not find it.”
“Oh, you need not look at me, Ross, you can’t have it. Go away.”
“No, Bessie, I will ask him to let you keep it.”