“What next? what next?” she kept asking herself as she stood trembling by the door, thinking, perhaps, it might be soon broken down and some rapid and terrible vengeance taken upon her.
In a few moments there was a smothered commotion in the hall. They had missed Elfie and were looking wildly about for her. At first they evidently thought she had roused herself and wandered off, and they searched halls and stairs. At last there was a sound of rapid feet on the stairs, and the clerk, in some excitement, followed the man up to Number 39, exclaiming in less guarded tones than the others were using that the thing was impossible; no one could or would have interfered with the child.
Then, in answer to some proposition, Marion heard him say indignantly:
“What! Rout up all our boarders at this hour of the night? No, sir, not for any money would I do it! There’s been too much noise made already.”
But at last he seemed to consent, and himself knocked at every door, apologizing for the disturbance, asking if any one had seen a little boy that a traveler had lost.
The inquiry seemed very startling, and many people left their rooms with cloaks or ulsters thrown about them to gather particulars of the strange disappearance. Marion felt sure that Elfie had received, in preparation for a long journey, a large dose of the quieting drops, so with little fear of waking her she lifted her from the bed and laid her, with a pillow under her head, upon the floor close by the wall under the bed, first moving it away, and then, as silently as she could, rolling it back to its place, thus entirely concealing the child, who never stirred through it all.
Then she jumped into bed herself, and, when the expected inquiry came, called out sleepily:
“No; I have seen no little boy.”
Even as she spoke the child under the bed turned uneasily and groaned. A cold perspiration bathed Marion from head to foot. She thought all was lost, but there were people talking excitedly in the hall, and the small sound was drowned by the large.
The landlord, Marion learned by some remarks called out by his appearance, had now joined the party.