"We will talk it all over in the morning, and decide what is best to be done," said Mrs. Pomeroy, soothingly. "You must go to bed now, and try to rest. See, here is poor Emily waiting for you! You ought to be grateful to her, for she ran a great risk to try to save you."
"Oh, Delia!" whispered Emily, as she clasped her friend in her arms, "I told! I could not help it!'"
"You was right," replied Delia, returning the embrace. "If I had only listened to you—but it is too late, now!"
"You must not give way to despair," observed Mrs. Pomeroy, over-hearing her. "Think how much worse it would have been if Mr. Fletcher had not found you, or if the cars had come in time! Lie down, now, and do not talk any more. I am going over to your room, and hope to find you both asleep when I return."
She kissed them both, turned down the gas, and left them to repose. They had both been greatly excited, and now felt as though rest was almost out of the question, but sleep comes easily to the young, and when Mrs. Pomeroy returned, she found them slumbering in each other's arms.
Mrs. Pomeroy's prophecy proved true, and Delia, next morning, was too ill to rise. Great was the questioning and wonderment when her room was found empty, and Miss Thomas came running over to Mrs. Pomeroy's room with the news, in a state of the greatest excitement.
"What do you think, ma'am? Miss Mason is gone! Her room is empty, and all her clothes that she wore yesterday are gone: She has gone off to be married, no doubt. Well, I only hope I shall be allowed to believe my own eyes, next time, that is all. I am not quite a goose, nor absolutely a blind bat, though some folks seem to think so!"
"Gently, gently, my dear Miss Thomas," said Mrs. Pomeroy, smiling in spite of herself. "Miss Mason is safe in my room, and has been there since midnight. She is very ill, and excessively nervous, and I shall be obliged to you and the other teachers, if you will keep the house as quiet as possible, and allow none of the young ladies to come to my room—but I will arrange that matter myself."
Miss Thomas retreated to her own domain, rather disgusted than otherwise that Delia should be safe after all, for she was a prophet of the school of Jonah, and would rather half the young ladies should run away to be married, than that one of her own predictions should fall to the ground.
"What is it, Miss Thomas? What did Mrs. Pomeroy say? Does she know that Delia has gone?" were some of the questions that greeted her from the group of dressed, undressed, and half-dressed girls, which surrounded her as she made her appearance in the hall.