His voice brought her to sudden agonized alarm. The blood ebbed from her face and she almost staggered toward him.
"Did you do it--do _that_?" she whispered, ready to fall.
"No; I found out in time. I found out everything--everything you didn"t tell me." He was shaken with longing, yet shamed into restraint before her.
"I"m so ashamed--I came as soon as I could to tell you. I rode all night to be here, to tell you as soon as I could."
"You didn"t do it--you didn"t do it?" she insisted pitifully.
"I stopped in time." She muttered this over and over, and at last the truth struggled into her chilled brain.
"You dear, dear fool!" she said with a little sobbing laugh.
Again his arms were half raised to her, but she turned swiftly and ran to c.o.o.ney, who had fallen to grazing a little way off, throwing her arms about his neck and weeping out incoherent words of endearment.
Ewing gathered his strength, like a wrestler who has been pressed to the ground, but lifts himself with infinite effort, and went resolutely toward her. Gently he unclasped her arms from c.o.o.ney"s neck.
THE END