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thought he could give advice better than any other person."
"
It settled the business, and saved us, Mary. The subject was dropped."
Bless you, I'm not doubting that."
"
Then they took up the gold-sack mystery again, with strong interest. Soon
the conversation began to suffer breaks--interruptions caused by absorbed
thinkings. The breaks grew more and more frequent. At last Richards
lost himself wholly in thought. He sat long, gazing vacantly at the
floor, and by-and-by he began to punctuate his thoughts with little
nervous movements of his hands that seemed to indicate vexation.
Meantime
his wife too had relapsed into a thoughtful silence, and her movements
were beginning to show a troubled discomfort. Finally Richards got up
and strode aimlessly about the room, ploughing his hands through his
hair, much as a somnambulist might do who was having a bad dream.
Then
he seemed to arrive at a definite purpose; and without a word he put on
his hat and passed quickly out of the house. His wife sat brooding, with
a drawn face, and did not seem to be aware that she was alone. Now and
then she murmured, "Lead us not into t . . . but--but--we are so poor, so
poor! . . . Lead us not into . . . Ah, who would be hurt by it?--and no
one would ever know . . . Lead us . . . " The voice died out in
mumblings. After a little she glanced up and muttered in a
half-frightened, half-glad way--
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