Frederick Bartlett - The Web of the Golden Spider

“Never mind now, but if ye wishes to talk with any Miss Manning ye can try somewheres else. Good-bye.”

“See here–wait a minute. I tell you the girl is there, and I must talk to her.”

“An’ I’m telling ye she isn’t.”

“Is there a Mr. Sorez there–”

“Oh, the man who is just after comin’? Wait a minute now,” he put in more civilly, “an’ I’ll see, sor.”

Wilson breathed once more. He started at every fairy clicking and jingle which came over the waiting line.

“Waiting?”

He almost shouted his reply in fear lest he be cut off.

“Yes! Yes! waiting. Don’t cut me off. Don’t–”

“Is this you?”

The voice came timidly, doubtingly–with a little tremor in it, but it was her voice.

He had not known it long, and yet it was as though he had always known it.

“Jo–comrade–are you safe?”

“Yes, and you? Oh, David!” she spoke his name hesitatingly, “David, where did you go?”

“I was hurt a little. I lost consciousness.”

“Hurt, David?”

“Not seriously, but that is why I couldn’t come back. I was carried to a hospital.”

“David!”

Her voice was tender with sympathy.

“And you–I came back to the study for you. You were gone.”

“We were hidden. There is a secret room where we stayed until daylight.”

“Then it was–”

“The priest. Sorez was so weak and frightened.”

“He came for the image?”

“Yes, but he did not get it. Was it he who–who hurt you, David?”

“It must have been. It was just as I came into the study.”

“And he carried you out?”

“Because he thought the house empty, I guess, and feared I was hurt worse than I was.”

“And you really are not badly hurt?”

“Not badly.”

“But how much–in what way?”

“Just a blow on the head. Please not to think about it.”

“I have thought so many horrible things.”

“Where are you now?”

“Mr. Sorez did not dare to stay there. He really is much stronger, and so he came here to a friend’s. I did not dare to let him come alone.”

“But you aren’t going to stay there. What are you going to do now?”

He thought she hesitated for a moment.

“I can’t tell, David. My head is in such a whirl.”

“You ought to go back home,” he suggested.

“Home? My home is with my father, and nowhere else.”

“I want to see you.”

“And I want to see you, David, but–”

“I’m coming out there now.”

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