“The man’s eyes are exactly like those of a dear friend of mine who has been dead these six years,” he said keeping his own eyes upon her the while. “For a moment I forgot all and thought he was Dick Cartwright.”
Alice wrung her hands.
“Tell me, Alice Lorraine, who is the man above? Is it indeed Dick Cartwright?” he asked.
“Yes, Mr. Langley, it is,” the girl owned with a great sense of relief. “He didn’t die. It was another man, but he gave him his name because he wished to be dead. He only came here to see you and Reuben. Then he was going back again. I—happened upon him one day and—after that I tried to help him. He is really——”
Mr. Langley was half way up the stair. Mrs. Lorraine stopped him. “Tell the doctor we will take him into the cottage,” she bade him. “Alice and I will go right over to get a bed ready.”
They got the bed ready and Mr. Langley and the doctor carried the sick man over, undressed him and got him into it. The doctor secured a nurse and Mr. Langley waited until she should come. Meanwhile Alice Lorraine related to him and to her mother the whole story Dick Cartwright had told her.
Mrs. Lorraine remained at the cottage, while Alice returned to Miss Penny’s. When Mr. Langley took her over he told Miss Penny briefly who the sick man was, and they discussed the situation as it concerned Reuben, who was fortunately out of the house at that moment.
They decided to say nothing to him until after Christmas when Mr. Langley would tell him the whole story. Reuben could then, if he wished, stay at the cottage for the remainder of his holidays.
As a matter of fact, Reuben was to remain there considerably longer than that. When it was time for him to return to college his father was just out of danger and Reuben did not dream of leaving him. He did not, indeed, return to college again until the following autumn. As soon as Dick Cartwright was able to be about the house, Mrs. Lorraine returned to Miss Penny’s, and Reuben and his father took the cottage as their home. Reuben got a position in the bank at Wenham and went back and forth to his work happily. His father kept house. As he grew stronger, Mr. Langley persuaded him to practice on the church organ. In the late spring, he was back again in his old position of organist at Farleigh church, and in the summer he secured, with Mr. Langley’s help, the position to teach music in the public schools at Wenham. This gave him a sufficient income not only to live comfortably but to pay Reuben’s expenses at college. Reuben, however, still preferred to work his way through, so the money was saved towards the pipe organ.