His voice broke and his head sank.
The doctor seized the boy's hand and spoke eagerly:
"It's a lie, boy! It's a lie! Take my word for it——"
"I'll stake my life on it that it's a lie"—the old man repeated—"and I'll prove it—I'll prove it from Cleo's lips!"
"You—you—can do it!" the boy said hopelessly, though his eyes flashed with a new light.
"Keep still until I return!" the doctor cried, "and I'll bring Cleo with me."
He placed the revolver in his pocket and hastily left the room, the boy's eyes following him with feverish excitement.
He called Cleo into the hall and closed Helen's door.
The old man seized her hand with a cruel grip: