'Oh, captain, jewel, do you know what? There's poor Miss Lily
Walsingham; and what do you think but she's dead--the poor little thing;
gone to-night, Sir--not half an hour ago.'
He staggered a little, and put his hand toward his sword, like a man
struck by a robber, and looked at her with a blank stare. She thought he
was out of his mind, and was frightened.
''Tis only me, Sir, Mrs. Irons.'
'A--thank you;' and he walked towards the chimney, and then towards the
door, like a man looking for something; and on a sudden clasping his
forehead in his hands, he cried a wild and terrible appeal to the Maker
and Judge of all things.
''Tis impossible--oh, no--oh, no--it's _not_ true.'
He was in the open air, he could not tell how, and across the bridge,
and before the Elms--a dream--the dark Elms--dark everything.
'Oh, no--it can't be--oh, no--oh, no;' and he went on saying as he
stared on the old house, dark against the sky, 'Oh, no--oh, no.'
Two or three times he would have gone over to the hall-door to make
enquiry, but he sickened at the thought. He clung to that hope, which
was yet not a hope, and he turned and walked quickly down the river's
side by the Inchicore-road.
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