About midnight Gringo pricked up his ears and barked sharply. A moment later Keith came in.
He was evidently dead tired and wholly preoccupied. He hung up his hat absently. Nan had sprung to her feet.
"Oh, how could you!" she cried, the pent exasperation in her voice. "I've been so anxious! I didn't know what might have happened!"
"I'm all right," replied Keith briefly. "Sorry you were worried. No chance to send you word."
His apparent indifference added fuel to Nan's irritation.
"If it hadn't been for Ben, I should have been stark, staring crazy, here all alone!".
Keith for the first time appeared to notice Sansome's presence. He nodded at him wearily.
"Mighty good of you," said he. "I appreciate it."
"I thought _some_ man ought to be in the house at a time of such public excitement," rejoined Sansome significantly.
Keith failed to catch, or elected not to notice, the implication. Nan's cheeks turned red.
Without further remark Keith walked across to lock the window; returning, he extinguished a small lamp on the side table. He was tired out, knew he must be up early, and wanted above everything to get to bed. The hint was sufficiently obvious. Sansome rose. Nan's flush deepened with mortification.
"Well, I'll just run along," said Sansome cheerfully. He did not ask for news of the evening, nor did Keith volunteer it. Keith nodded at him briefly and indifferently. He did not mean to be rude, but his wearied mind was filled to the exclusion of everything else with the significance of this day.
Nan, feeling that she must make amends, followed Sansome into the hall. Her anxiety for Keith's safety relieved, her whole reaction was indignantly toward Sansome.
"I'm sorry to have you go," she said, with a feeling that other circumstances could not have called out, "I don't know what I'd have done without you!"
Sansome's sensitive intuitions thrilled to the feeling.
"Your husband is here to take care of you--now," he murmured. "I must be off." He took her hand, and bent over her, gazing into her eyes with the concentration of a professional hypnotist, "Good-night," he said, with a world of unexpressed meaning. "Try to get some sleep--Nan," He said her name in a lower tone, almost lingeringly, then turned abruptly and went out.