“My God, is she in danger?” he asked, in a stupor of pain. “I’ll go up and see.”
He shuffled up the stairs as quickly as possible, and hurried into her room without knocking.
Stella sprang from the bed where she lay moaning, laughing and crying, and flew at him, stamping and screaming:
“Don’t you come near me. Don’t you touch me! Don’t you speak to me! Get out of this room!”
“Get out of this room--get out of this room! or I’ll jump out of that window and kill myself!” She seized him by the arm, hustled and pushed him out of the door, slammed and locked it. Again she threw herself on the bed and burst into strangling groans.
The Judge retreated to the hall below, his eyes filled with tears, his heart sick with terror. He dropped into a seat, covered his face with his hands and sat for a moment in stupid pain.
Maggie suddenly plunged down the stairs yelling:
“Goddermighty, ye better run fur de doctor quick--Miss Stella dying! She done choke ter death!”
“I’ll bring the doctor,” said Larkin, rising quickly.
“Run and bring Aunt Julie Ann!” whispered the Judge to Maggie.
The maid met Aunt Julie Ann who had heard the commotion and the two hurried back to Stella’s room.
When the doctor came she refused to see him, and he left in a rage. The Judge begged Larkin to stay until he could see his daughter.
An hour later, propped up in bed with Maggie rubbing one hand and Aunt Julie Ann the other, she permitted her father to enter and receive her pardon. The Judge knelt by the bedside, kissed her hand and wet it with tears. His surrender was abject. He sent Larkin away and promised to be present at the ball and treat the whole thing as a schoolboys’ frolic.
“If I’m only strong enough to dress by ten o’clock!” she cried, laughing.
“Try to eat something, dear,” urged her father.
She promised and asked Aunt Julie Ann to send her a little soup. She got the soup and with it a substantial meal.
Still and catlike, Maggie watched her eat it down to the last crumb with quiet enjoyment. When the black maid picked up the tray she walled her eyes first at the empty dishes and then at her wonderful little mistress and softly giggled.
AS THE hour approached for the masqueraders to appear at the Judge’s John Graham was drawn to the spot by an irresistible impulse. He stood in the shadows of the trees on the sidewalk and watched the little squadron of white and scarlet horsemen wheel into the gate past Isaac’s cottage, and gallop swiftly up to the front door of the old mansion.