Ruth came to look for him at length, and she uttered a little cry when she saw him, for his face was like the face of the dead.
CHAPTER XIV
THE STORM BURSTS
"Why, Ralph, what is the matter?" And Ruth seized one of his hands and stared eagerly and appealingly into his face.
He shook himself as if he had been asleep, then closed the door quietly and followed her into the living-room.
"Are you not well, Ralph?" Ruth persisted, as she drew up his chair a little nearer the fire. Mrs. Penlogan laid her knitting in her lap, and her eyes echoed Ruth's inquiry.
"I've heard some bad news," he said, speaking with an effort, and he dropped into his chair and stared at the fire.
"Bad news!" both women echoed. "What has happened, Ralph?"
He hesitated for a moment, then he told them the story as Dorothy had told it to him.