"She had gone out of town—to Lakewood. But she will be back to-night."
"And will she come to me?"
"I cannot answer that question, Mr. Horton. I told the woman with whom she lives to send her up here."
"Did you say she must come—that I wanted her to come?" persisted the retired merchant eagerly.
"I did, and the woman was quite sure Miss Gertrude would come."
"When was she to get back from Lakewood?"
"By seven or eight o'clock."
"Then she ought to be here by nine or ten."
All that afternoon Mark Horton showed his impatience. Usually he took a nap, but now he could not sleep. He insisted upon getting up and walking around.
"The very thought that she will be back makes me feel stronger," he declared. "It is more of a tonic than Homer's wine."