She rose and put her hand on Willy's arm as he walked to and fro across the earthen floor.

She was the more drawn to him from some scarce explicable sense of his weakness.
"Some one coming now," he said in eager tones--his ears were awake with a feverish sensitiveness--"some one at the back." It was Ralph at last.

He had come down the side of the ghyll, and had entered the house from behind.

All breathed freely.
"God bless thee!" said Mrs.Ray.
"You've been anxious.

It was bad to keep you so," he said, with an obvious effort to assume his ordinary manner.
"I reckon thou couldst not have helped it, my lad," said Mrs.Ray.
Relieved and cheerful, she was bustling about to get Ralph's supper on the table.
"Well, no," he answered.