'God help him, then. God help us all.'
Neither of us spoke for many minutes—slow minutes that were laden with heavy thoughts.
At last Hildred looked up to me with a smile that was wonderfully sweet and sad.
'Willie,' she said, 'I wish I could be as strong as you are.'
'You can, Hildred. Oh dear Hildred, you will be if you try.'
'Oh, I am going to try, of course,' she answered, wearily.
Cuthbert was standing before the door when I went home. We shook hands and went into the house together, but I had a strange feeling all the time, that I did not know what to say to him. Last night I fancied that my battle was all over, and the victory mine once and for ever. This morning it all began over again, and every word that Cuthbert spoke ruffled me. I felt angry with him for speaking cheerily, and gave all my attention to lighting the fire. He stood leaning his arm on the chimney-piece, and watching me.
'It seems odd to see you doing all the woman's work,' he said.
I answered shortly that there was no one else to do it.
'So dear old Granny is gone?'