For more than an hour he walked the room; then kneeling by the bed, just
as a pale, silvery streak appeared along the eastern horizon, he
cried,-"O God, leave me not in darkness; give me some clew to the vanished
past, that I may know whether or not I have the right to this most
precious of all thine earthly gifts!"
And, burying his face, he strove as never before to pierce the darkness
enveloping his brain. Long he knelt there, his hands clinching the
bedclothes convulsively, even the muscles of his body tense and rigid
under the terrible mental strain he was undergoing, while at times his
powerful frame shook with agony.
The silvery radiance crept upward over the deep blue dome; the stars
dwindled to glimmering points of light, then faded one by one; a roseate
flush tinged the eastern sky, growing and deepening, and the first
golden rays were shooting upward from a sea of crimson flame as Darrell
rose from his knees. He walked to the window, but even the sunlight
seemed to mock him--there was no light for him, no rift in the cloud
darkening his path, and with a heavy sigh he turned away. The struggle
was not yet over; this was to be a day of battle with himself, and he
nerved himself for the coming ordeal.
After a cold bath he dressed and descended to the breakfast-room. It was
still early, but Mr. Underwood was already at the table and Mrs. Dean
entered a moment later from the kitchen, where she had been giving
directions for breakfast for Kate and her guests. Both were shocked at
Darrell's haggard face and heavy eyes, but by a forced cheerfulness he
succeeded in diverting the scrutiny of the one and the anxious
solicitude of the other. Mr. Underwood returned to his paper and his
sister and Darrell had the conversation to themselves.
"Last night's dissipation proved too much for me," Darrell said,
playfully, in reply to some protest of Mrs. Dean's regarding his light
appetite.
"You don't look fit to go down town!" she exclaimed; "you had better
stay at home and help Katherine entertain her guests. I noticed you
seemed to be very popular with them last night."
"I'm afraid I would prove a sorry entertainer," Darrell answered,
lightly, as he rose from the table, "so you will kindly excuse me to
Miss Underwood and her friends."
"Aren't you going to wait and ride down?" Mr. Underwood inquired.
"Not this morning," Darrell replied; "a brisk walk will do me good." And
a moment later they heard his firm step on the gravelled driveway.
Mr. Underwood having finished his reading of the morning paper passed it
to his sister.
"Pretty good write-up of last night's affair," he commented, as he
replaced his spectacles in their case.