"Death and the devil! what a cursed interruption!" cried Jack, impatiently. "If you loiter in this way, old Wood will catch us."
"If you stir, I'll call him!" rejoined Winifred. "It's you, Jack, who are persuading my brother to do wrong. Thames," she urged, "the errand, on which you're going, can't be for any good, or you wouldn't be afraid of mentioning it to my father."
"He's coming!" cried Jack, stamping his foot, with vexation. "Another moment, and it'll be too late."
"Winny, I must go!" said Thames, breaking from her.
"Stay, dear Thames!—stay!" cried the little girl. "He hears me not! he's gone!" she added, as the door was opened and shut with violence; "something tells me I shall never see him again!"
When her father, a moment afterwards, issued from the parlour to ascertain the cause of the noise, he found her seated on the stairs, in an agony of grief.
"Where's Thames?" he hastily inquired.
Winifred pointed to the door. She could not speak.
"And Jack?"
"Gone too," sobbed his daughter.