"I'll call you if I want you," he said, and the man thanked him as he went out.
Eli sat in the chair watching the old mare and frequently looking at his watch. He had never wished time to fly so rapidly before.
Honeysuckle was restless, and from time to time looked at him with her big, soft eyes in a most pathetic way.
"I can't do anything for you, old girl," he said. "But you can oblige me very much by staving off the great event until the clock has struck twelve. After that the sooner you are over your trouble the better."
Another half hour passed, and still found Eli wakeful and on guard.
A slight noise outside aroused him, and he listened attentively. "It sounded like a man walking, perhaps Joe has come back. I know he is as anxious as I am about her," muttered Eli.
A knock on the door made him start, and he said—
"Who's there?"
No answer. It was mysterious at this hour of the night.
He asked the question again, and the reply was another rap.