fever of the aunt's wrath against those whom she thought to blame broke
forth, and almost in delirium.

The last hot weather of the autumn still held; in the same still hour of
the afternoon, the hour in which Susannah's baptism had taken place the
day before, Angel Halsey, pallid with his yesterday's beating and
ill-usage, but steadfast and even joyful of face, walked up to the front
door of the magistrate's house.

This door opened upon an unfrequented entrance-hall. Susannah heard the
knock, heard her aunt move with the dignity befitting an expected
visitor. Then she heard Ephraim's step on the stair for the first time
that day, and reflected dully that he must have seen the advent of some
important person from his window to be thus answering the call of the
door.

After that she heard words that had the sound of suppressed screams in
them. She realised that the house mistress was ordering some enemy from
her door. These commands were not obeyed, and Susannah, hearing that the
intruder remained, began in fear to suspect the meaning of the
intrusion. As she rose the report of a fire-arm startled her from all
the remnants of her selfish dulness, causing her feet to fly.

From within the sitting-room she saw the entrance-hall. Its door was
open to the wide sweep of land that lay in floods of sunshine. In the
light, half turning now to go as he had come, stood Angel Halsey. Her
eager eyes drank in the sight of him, because last night she had thought
to see him die. She saw his quietness even while, it seemed to her, the
gun still echoed, and it was Ephraim who held the gun! Beside Ephraim
her aunt stood, like one in a frenzy, her very garments twitching and