Miss Ganthorn began to faint and was led away. Other girls looked as though they might follow suit. Only Hephzibah Malling stood her ground. Her face was blanched, but her mouth was tightly clenched. She uttered no sound. All her anger against the prostrate man had vanished; a world of pity was in her eyes as she silently looked on.
The parson summoned some of the men.
“Bear a hand, boys,” he said, in a business-like tone which deceived no one. “We’d better get him into the house.” Then, seeing Mrs. Malling, he went on, “Get Prudence away at once. She must not see.”
The old farm-wife hurried off, and the others gently raised the body of the unconscious man and bore it towards the house.
Thus did Leslie Grey attend his wedding.
The body was taken in by a back way to Sarah Gurridge’s bedroom and laid upon the bed. Tim Gleichen was dispatched at once to Lakeville for the doctor. Then, dismissing everybody but Harry Gleichen, Mr. Danvers proceeded to remove the sick man’s outer clothing.
The room was small, the one window infinitely so. A single sunbeam shone coldly in through the latter and lit up the well-scrubbed bare floor. There was nothing but the plainest of “fixings” in the apartment, but they had been set in position by the deft hand of a woman of taste. The bed on which the unconscious man had been placed was narrow and hard. Its coverlet was a patchwork affair of depressing hue.
Mr. Danvers bent to his work with a full appreciation of the tragedy which had happened. His face was solemn, and expressive of the most tender solicitude for the injured man. In a whisper he dispatched his assistant for warm water and bandages, whilst he unfastened and removed the fur coat. Inside the clothing was saturated with still warm blood. The minister’s lips tightened as the truth of what had happened slowly forced itself upon his mind.