“I don’t think I could,” he allowed, and he looked so nearly fainting that I grew desperate.
“I must go for help,” I said, “whatever or whoever these people are! It is the only thing to do.”
Moore was too utterly knocked over to remonstrate, and I felt it would be cruel and useless to reproach him. I started off, running as quickly as was safe in the increasing dusk, scarcely giving myself time to think how I could explain our unwarranted intrusion. Some instinct told me that it was better to go straight to the front door than through the conservatory. I did so, but before I had time to ring, I saw that it was standing wide open, and almost immediately two figures crossed the hall. They must have caught sight of me at once, for the foremost of them—it was the elder Mr Grey—came forward, amazement depicted on his face, and stood gazing at me for a moment as if unable to speak. His stupefaction gave me a sort of courage, or rather I felt the necessity of speech.
“I beg your pardon,” I began. “I don’t know how to explain, but—oh! my brother—he’s quite a boy—has hurt himself badly. He has fallen from the top of your wall, and—and—somebody must come to help him!”
I could not utter another word. I felt myself beginning to choke and sob.
“How the—” Then the speaker checked himself. “What in the world was he doing at the top of the wall, and how did he get there? And how did you—” Here again he stopped. I think it dawned upon him at that moment that he was addressing a lady. Probably, too, it struck him that if some one was lying badly injured by some accident, the first thing to do was to see to him, and reserve explanations till after this had been done. But the poor man was terribly upset—as to that there could be no doubt; and excited though I was, I was able to feel fearfully ashamed and penitent.
During the moment or two that had passed, the second person in the hall, a travelling-rug over his arm, had come forward. To him Mr Grey now turned.
“Have you heard?” he said. “Come with me. We must at all costs see what is the matter.”
The younger man, for considerably such he was had taken it all in, though in silence.
“Where is the boy?” he said to me abruptly, though not uncourteously.