"Don't leave me!"
"Only for a little while. Promise me to be good and quiet, until I can run down stairs and back."
"Only do not stay—I am afraid to be alone."
Richard was pacing the hall with a troubled air. "How is she?" he asked.
"More composed."
"May I go up?"
"It pains me to deny you, but she can see no one, at present."
"This is extraordinary, Miss Ida. We know that there is not ground for this excessive grief, and Helen has not miss-ish nerves. What ails her?"
His frown commanded her to reply, explicitly.
"You do not reflect how sudden Mr. Read's death was, Mr. Copeland. It was an alarming event to us all. After awhile, your sister will receive you. She does not know that you are here;—her mind has wandered all day; and I deemed it safest not to agitate her. Trust me to do all in my power for her and you."