The white figure slowly rose and her words came in little ripples of gasping laughter as she turned and lifted her arms:
"It's—it's—Tom!"
With a smothered cry she was on his breast. He held her long and close without a word. His voice had a queer hitch in it as he murmured:
"Helen—my darling!"
"Oh, I thought you'd never come!" she sighed, looking up through her tears.
Tom held her off and gazed into her eyes:
"It's been a century since I've seen you! I did my level best when we got into these nearby counties again, but I couldn't shake Dad once this week. He watched me like a hawk and insisted on staying out of town till the very last hour of the election to-day. Did old Andy find out I slipped in last week?"
"No!" she laughed.
"Did Cleo find it out?"
"No."