The bowed head sank lower.
"Father!"
Tom reeled, and fell into a chair with a groan:
"Lord have mercy on my lost soul!"
Norton solemnly lifted his eyes:
"G.o.d"s full vengeance has fallen at last! You have married your own----"
The boy sprang to his feet covering his face:
"Don"t! Don"t! Helen doesn"t know?"
"No."
"She mustn"t!" he shivered, looking wildly at his father. "But why, why--oh, dear G.o.d, why didn"t you kill me before I knew!"
He sank back into the chair, his arms outstretched across the table, his face hidden in voiceless shame.
The father slowly approached the prostrate figure, bent low and tenderly placed his cheek against the blonde head, soothing it with trembling touch.
For a long while he remained thus, with no sound breaking the stillness save the sobs that came from the limp form.
And then Norton said brokenly:
"I tried, my boy, to end it for us both without your knowing just now when your back was turned, but I couldn"t. It seemed too cowardly and cruel! I just couldn"t"--he paused, slowly drew the revolver from his pocket and laid it on the table.
The boy felt the dull weight of the steel strike the velvet cover and knew what had been done without lifting his head.
"Now you know," the father added, "what we both must do."
Tom rose staring at the thing on the dark red cloth, and lifted his eyes to his father"s.
"Yes, and hurry! Helen may come at any moment."
He had barely spoken when the k.n.o.b of the door turned. A quick knock was heard at the same instant and Helen"s voice rang through the hall:
"Tom! Tom!"
Norton grasped the pistol, thrust it under the table-cover and pressed the boy toward the door:
"Quick! Open it, at once!"
Tom stared in a stupor, unable to move until his father shook his arm:
"Quick--open it--let her in a moment--it"s best."
He opened the door and Helen sprang in breathlessly.
CHAPTER x.x.x
THE MILLS OF G.o.d
Norton had dropped into a seat with apparent carelessness, while Tom stood immovable, his face a mask.
The girl looked quickly from one to the other, her breath coming in quick gasps.
She turned to Tom:
"Why did you lock the door--what does it mean?"
Norton hastened to answer, his tones rea.s.suringly simple:
"Why, only that we wished to be alone for a few moments----"
"Yes, we understand each other now," Tom added.
Helen"s eyes flashed cautiously from one to the other:
"I heard a strange noise"--she turned to the boy--"and, oh, Tom, darling, I was so frightened! I thought I heard a struggle and then everything became so still. I was wild--I couldn"t wait any longer!"
"Why, it was really nothing," Tom answered her bravely smiling. "We--we did have a little scene, and lost our temper for a moment, but you can see for yourself it"s all right now. We"ve thrashed the whole thing out and have come to a perfect understanding!"
His words were convincing but not his manner. He hadn"t dared to look her in the face. His eyes were on the rug and his foot moved nervously.
"You are not deceiving me?" she asked trembling.
The boy appealed to his father:
"Haven"t we come to a perfect understanding, Dad?"
Norton rose:
"Perfect, my son. It"s all right, now, Helen."
"Just wait for me five minutes, dear," Tom pleaded.
"Can"t I hear what you have to say?"
"We prefer to be alone," the father said gravely.
Again her eyes flashed from one to the other and rested on Tom. She rushed to him and laid her hand appealingly on his arm: