"Oh, Mr. Van Brunt!" sobbed Ellen.
That gentleman, at first dumb with astonishment, lifted his
lantern to survey them, and assure his eyes that his ears had
not been mistaken.
"Miss Alice! — how in the name of wonder! — and my poor little
lamb! — but what on 'arth, Ma’am — you must be half dead. Come
this way — just come back a little bit — why, where were you
going, Ma’am?"
"To your house, Mr. Van Brunt; I have been looking for it with
no little anxiety, I assure you."
"Looking for it! Why, how on 'arth! you wouldn't see the
biggest house ever was built half a yard off such a plaguy
night as this."
"I thought I should see the light from the windows, Mr. Van
Brunt."
"The light from the windows! the storm rattled so agin' the
windows, that mother made me pull the great shutters to. I
won't have 'em shut again of a stormy night, that's a fact;
you'd ha' gone far enough afore you'd ha' seen the light
through them shutters."
"Then we had passed the house already, hadn't we?"
"Indeed, had you, Ma’am. I guess you saw my light, han't you?"
"Yes, and glad enough we were to see it, too."
"I suppose so. It happened so to-night — now that is a queer
thing — I minded that I hadn't untied my horse; he's a trick
of being untied at night, and won't sleep well if he ain't;
and mother wanted me to let him alone 'cause of the awful
storm, but I couldn't go to my bed in peace till I had seen
him to his'n.
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