“Yes, I am obliged to go, in order to keep an appointment for to-morrow night in New York; otherwise, I would wait a day to learn the extent of the damage, for I am afraid the hurricane has made sad havoc.  Esau tells me the roof and a portion of the market house was carried away, and it was the most violent gale I have ever known.”

They had reached the street and were approaching the gate of the parsonage, where Hero turned back, dropped the torch at Mr. Lindsay’s feet, and shook his head vigorously, rubbing his nose with his paw.

“Poor fellow! can’t you stand it any longer?  It must nave scorched him, as it burnt low.  Brave fellow!”

“Oh, Douglass! is that you?” cried an eager voice at some distance.

“Yes, mother.”

Mrs. Lindsay ran to meet them.

“Did you find her?”

“Yes, I am bringing her home.”

“Bringing her—­oh, my God!  Is she dead?”

“No, she is safe.”

“My son, don’t try to deceive me.  What is the matter?  You are carrying something on a litter.”

“Why do you not speak, Regina, and assure her of your safety?”

Mrs. Lindsay had groped her way to the side of her son, and put her hand on the figure stretched upon the cushion.

“I only sprained my foot badly, and Mr. Lindsay was so good as to bring me home this way.”

“Have they got her?” shouted Hannah, who accompanied by Mr. Hargrove had found it impossible to keep pace with Mrs. Lindsay.

“Oh, it is a corpse you are fetching home!” she added, with a genuine wail, as in the gloom she dimly saw the outline of several persons.

“Nobody is dead, but we need a light.  Run back and get a candle.”

Thankful that life had been spared, no more questions were asked until they reached the house, and deposited their burden on the lounge in the dining-room.

Then Mr. Lindsay briefly explained what had occurred, and superintended the anointing and binding up of the bruised ankle, now much swollen.

As Hannah knelt, holding the foot in her broad palm, to enable Mrs. Lindsay to wrap it in a linen cloth saturated with arnica, the former bent her grey head and tenderly kissed the wounded member.  She had been absent for a few minutes during the recital of the accident, and now asked: 

“Where were you, that you could not get home before the storm?  Heaven knows that cloud grumbled and gave warning long enough.”

“Hannah, she was in the church, and when she tried to get out, it was too late.”

“In the church!  Why I was in the yard, trying to get a breath of air, not twenty minutes before the cloud rolled up like a mountain of ink, and I saw nobody.”

Regina understood her nervous start, and the eager questioning of her eyes.

“I was in the organ gallery, and, falling down the steps, I hurt myself.”

“Honey, did you see me?”