Esther Ellis, devoured1 with anxiety respecting the safety of her father and the Garies, paced with impatient step up and down the drawing-room. Opening the window, she looked to see if she could discover any signs of day. "It's pitchy dark," she exclaimed, "and yet almost five o'clock. Father has run a fearful risk. I hope nothing has happened to him."
"I trust not. I think he's safe enough somewhere," said Mr. Walters. "He's no doubt been very cautious, and avoided meeting any one—don't worry yourself, my child, 'tis most likely he remained with them wherever they went; probably they are at the house of some of their neighbours."
"I can't help feeling dreadfully oppressed and anxious," continued she. "I wish he would come."
Whilst she was speaking, her mother entered the room. "Any news of your father?" she asked, in a tone of anxiety.
Esther endeavoured to conceal2 her own apprehensions3, and rejoined, in as cheerful tone as she could assume—"Not yet, mother—it's too dark for us to expect him yet—he'll remain most likely until daylight."
"He shouldn't have gone had I been here—he's no business to expose himself in this way."
"But, mother," interrupted Esther, "only think of it—the safety of Emily and the children were depending on it—we mustn't be selfish."
"I know we oughtn't to be, my child," rejoined her mother, "but it's natural to the best of us—sometimes we can't help it." Five—six—seven o'clock came and passed, and still there were no tidings of Mr. Ellis.
"I can bear this suspense4 no longer," exclaimed Esther. "If father don't come soon, I shall go and look for him. I've tried to flatter myself that he's safe; but I'm almost convinced now that something has happened to him, or he'd have come back long before this—he knows how anxious we would all be about him. I've tried to quiet mother and Caddy by suggesting various reasons for his delay, but, at the same time, I cannot but cherish the most dismal5 forebodings. I must go and look for him."
"No, no, Esther—stay where you are at present—leave that to me. I'll order a carriage and go up to Garie's immediately."
"Well, do, Mr. Walters, and hurry back: won't you?" she rejoined, as he left the apartment.
In a few moments he returned, prepared to start, and was speedily driven to Winter-street. He found a group of people gathered before the gate, gazing into the house. "The place has been attacked," said he, as he walked towards the front door—picking his way amidst fragments of furniture, straw, and broken glass. At the entrance of the house he was met by Mr. Balch, Mr. Garie's lawyer.
"This is a shocking affair, Walters," said he, extending his hand—he was an old friend of Mr. Walters.
"Very shocking, indeed," he replied, looking around. "But where is Garie?
We sent to warn them of this. I hope they are all safe."
"Safe!" repeated Mr. Balch, with an air of astonishment6. "Why, man, haven't you heard?"
"Heard what?" asked Mr. Walters, looking alarmed.
"That Mr. and Mrs. Garie are dead—both were killed last night."
The shock of this sudden and totally unexpected disclosure was such that Mr. Walters leaned against the doorway7 for support. "It can't be possible," he exclaimed at last, "not dead!" "Yes, dead, I regret to say—he was shot through the head—and she died in the wood-house, of premature8 confinement9, brought on by fright and exposure."
"They are safe, with some neighbours—it's heart-breaking to hear them weeping for their mother." Here a tear glistened11 in the eye of Mr. Balch, and ran down his cheek. Brushing it off, he continued: "The coroner has just held an inquest, and they gave a most truthless verdict: nothing whatever is said of the cause of the murder, or of the murderers; they simply rendered a verdict—death caused by a wound from a pistol-shot, and hers—death from exposure. There seemed the greatest anxiety on the part of the coroner to get the matter over as quickly as possible, and few or no witnesses were examined. But I'm determined12 to sift13 the matter to the bottom; if the perpetrators of the murder can be discovered, I'll leave no means untried to find them."
"Do you know any one who sat on the inquest?" asked Walters.
"Yes, one," was the reply, "Slippery George, the lawyer; you are acquainted with him—George Stevens. I find he resides next door."
"Do you know," here interrupted Mr. Walters, "that I've my suspicions that that villain14 is at the bottom of these disturbances15 or at least has a large share in them. I have a paper in my possession, in his handwriting—it is in fact a list of the places destroyed by the mob last night—it fell into the hands of a friend of mine by accident—he gave it to me—it put me on my guard; and when the villains16 attacked my house last night they got rather a warmer reception than they bargained for."
"You astonish me! Is it possible your place was assaulted also?" asked Mr.
Balch.
"Indeed, it was—and a hot battle we had of it for a short space of time.
But how did you hear of this affair?"
"I was sent for by I can't tell whom. When I came and saw what had happened, I immediately set about searching for a will that I made for Mr. Garie a few weeks since; it was witnessed and signed at my office, and he brought it away with him. I can't discover it anywhere. I've ransacked17 every cranny. It must have been carried off by some one. You are named in it conjointly with myself as executor. All the property is left to her, poor thing, and his children. We must endeavour to find it somewhere—at any rate the children are secure; they are the only heirs—he had not, to my knowledge, a single white relative. But let us go in and see the bodies."
They walked together into the back room where the bodies were lying. Mrs. Garie was stretched upon the sofa, covered with a piano cloth; and her husband was laid upon a long table, with a silk window-curtain thrown across his face.
The two gazed in silence on the face of Mr. Garie—the brow was still knit, the eyes staring vacantly, and the marble whiteness of the face unbroken, save by a few gouts of blood near a small blue spot over the eye where the bullet had entered.
"He was the best-hearted creature in the world," said Walters, as he re-covered the face.
"Won't you look at her?" asked Mr. Balch.
"No, no—I can't," continued Walters; "I've seen horrors enough for one morning. I've another thing on my mind! A friend who assisted in the defence of my house started up here last night, to warn them of their danger, and when I left home he had not returned: it's evident he hasn't been here, and I greatly fear some misfortune has befallen him. Where are the children? Poor little orphans18, I must see them before I go."
Accompanied by Mr. Balch, he called at the house where Clarence and Em had found temporary shelter. The children ran to him as soon as he entered the room. "Oh! Mr. Walters," sobbed19 Clarence, "my mother's dead—my mother's dead!"
"Hush20, dears—hush!" he replied, endeavouring to restrain his own tears, as he took little Em in his arms. "Don't cry, my darling," said he, as she gave rent to a fresh outburst of tears.
"Why don't father come?" asked Clarence. "Have you seen him, Mr. Walters?"
Mr. Walters was quite taken aback by this inquiry23, which clearly showed that the children were still unaware24 of the extent of their misfortunes. "I've seen him, my child," said he, evasively; "you'll see him before long." And fearful of further questioning, he left the house, promising25 soon to return.
Unable longer to endure her anxiety respecting her father, Esther determined not to await the return of Mr. Walters, which had already been greatly delayed, but to go herself in search of him. It had occurred to her that, instead of returning from the Garies direct to them, he had probably gone to his own home to see if it had been disturbed during the night.
Encouraged by this idea, without consulting any one, she hastily put on her cloak and bonnet26, and took the direction of her home. Numbers of people were wending their way to the lower part of the city, to gratify their curiosity by gazing upon the havoc27 made by the rioters during the past night.
Esther found her home a heap of smoking ruins; some of the neighbours who recognized her gathered round, expressing their sympathy and regret. But she seemed comparatively careless respecting the loss of their property; and in answer to their kind expressions, could only ask, "Have you seen my father?—do you know where my father is?"
None, however, had seen him; and after gazing for a short time upon the ruins of what was once a happy home, she turned mournfully away, and walked back to Mr. Walters's.
"Has father come?" she inquired, as soon as the door was opened. "Not yet!" was the discouraging reply: "and Mr. Walters, he hasn't come back, either, miss!"
Esther stood for some moments hesitating whether to go in, or to proceed in her search. The voice of her mother calling her from the stairway decided28 her, and she went in.
Mrs. Ellis and Caddy wept freely on learning from Esther the destruction of their home. This cause of grief, added to the anxiety produced by the prolonged absence of Mr. Ellis, rendered them truly miserable29.
Whilst they were condoling30 with one another, Mr. Walters returned. He was unable to conceal his fears that something had happened to Mr. Ellis, and frankly31 told them so; he also gave a detailed32 account of what had befallen the Garies, to the great horror and grief of all.
As soon as arrangements could be made, Mr. Walters and Esther set out in search of her father. All day long they went from place to place, but gained no tidings of him; and weary and disheartened they returned at night, bringing with them the distressing33 intelligence of their utter failure to procure34 any information respecting him.
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1
devoured
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| 吞没( devour的过去式和过去分词 )； 耗尽； 津津有味地看； 狼吞虎咽地吃光 | |
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2
conceal
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| v.隐藏，隐瞒，隐蔽 | |
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3
apprehensions
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| 疑惧 | |
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suspense
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| n.（对可能发生的事）紧张感，担心，挂虑 | |
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dismal
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| adj.阴沉的，凄凉的，令人忧郁的，差劲的 | |
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6
astonishment
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| n.惊奇，惊异 | |
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7
doorway
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| n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径 | |
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8
premature
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| adj.比预期时间早的；不成熟的，仓促的 | |
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confinement
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| n.幽禁，拘留，监禁；分娩；限制，局限 | |
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10
gasped
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| v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要 | |
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11
glistened
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| v.湿物闪耀，闪亮( glisten的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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12
determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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13
sift
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| v.筛撒，纷落，详察 | |
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14
villain
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| n.反派演员，反面人物；恶棍；问题的起因 | |
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15
disturbances
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| n.骚乱( disturbance的名词复数 )；打扰；困扰；障碍 | |
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16
villains
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| n.恶棍( villain的名词复数 )；罪犯；（小说、戏剧等中的）反面人物；淘气鬼 | |
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17
ransacked
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| v.彻底搜查( ransack的过去式和过去分词 )；抢劫，掠夺 | |
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18
orphans
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| 孤儿( orphan的名词复数 ) | |
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19
sobbed
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| 哭泣，啜泣( sob的过去式和过去分词 )； 哭诉，呜咽地说 | |
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20
hush
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| int.嘘，别出声；n.沉默，静寂；v.使安静 | |
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21
sobbing
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| <主方>Ⅰ adj.湿透的 | |
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22
pacifying
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| 使（某人）安静( pacify的现在分词 )； 息怒； 抚慰； 在（有战争的地区、国家等）实现和平 | |
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inquiry
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| n.打听，询问，调查，查问 | |
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unaware
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| a.不知道的，未意识到的 | |
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promising
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| adj.有希望的，有前途的 | |
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bonnet
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| n.无边女帽；童帽 | |
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27
havoc
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| n.大破坏，浩劫，大混乱，大杂乱 | |
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28
decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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miserable
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| adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的 | |
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30
condoling
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| v.表示同情，吊唁( condole的现在分词 ) | |
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31
frankly
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| adv.坦白地，直率地；坦率地说 | |
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32
detailed
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| adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的 | |
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33
distressing
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| a.使人痛苦的 | |
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34
procure
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| vt.获得，取得，促成；vi.拉皮条 | |
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