Sid, with never a word, but with a look of anguish on his face, as if he was torn between two fates, passed out.
[CHAPTER XXXI]
THE BAN LIFTED
“I never knew that clock ticked so loud,” remarked Tom, after a silence that seemed interminable. “Listen to it.”
“It does make an infernal racket,” responded Phil, and his voice sounded strange to him. So great had been the strain engendered by the dramatic departure of Sid, that both Tom and Phil felt the awkwardness of speaking of commonplace matters after it. “Guess we’ll get a new ticker,” suggested Phil, for want of something better to say.
“No,” answered Tom slowly. “Old things are best after all—even if they don’t keep just the right time. I’m attached to that clock.”
Somehow Tom felt that the simile might apply to Sid, but he did not mention it.
“Is your hand—did he hurt it—I mean is it all right?” stammered Phil.