Then, with steady steps, she walked on, past the pitying young policeman, and past the closed car in which she vaguely realized her lover was about to be taken to Grendon prison.
CHAPTER XI
In every human drama where anguish, shame, despair, play a part, there are always certain minor characters who deserve, though they never receive, almost as much sympathy as do the principals in the tragedy.
As the doctor and his wife sat awaiting the return of Jean Bower, they felt as if the whole of their happy, dignified house of life had fallen into ruins about them. Deep in her troubled heart Mrs. Maclean was quite as much concerned with the position of her husband as she was with that of her niece, dearly as she loved the girl. For Jean was young enough to start another life, and, as the years went on, all that was now happening, and about to happen, would become a painful memory and nothing more.
How different the case of her husband—to say nothing of herself!
Already Mrs. Maclean felt as if the doctor had aged perceptibly during the last hour. He was sitting staring into the fire, doing nothing, not even smoking. He had asked her to tell Elsie that he would not be at home this morning to any patients, and that all calls must be telephoned on at once to Dr. Tasker. It was worse, far worse, than if death, unexpected, unheralded, and coming in some peculiarly terrible shape, had entered the house.
The door opened, and they both turned round quickly. Speaking in a hushed voice, Elsie said:
“I thought maybe you’d like to know that a machine has just driven past. There was a policeman on the box, and I’m afraid—I make no doubt—that I saw Mr. Garlett riding inside.”
She did not wait to hear her master’s comment on her piece of news, but, with true delicacy, retreated quickly into her kitchen.
The husband and wife looked at each other, a dozen unspoken questions as to the whereabouts of Jean remaining unuttered by either. At last Mrs. Maclean said slowly: “I expect the child will be back in a few minutes; she can’t but know what’s happened.”