At length, exhausted by her emotion, she laid her head back and fell
asleep in her chair.
How long she had slept she did not know; some unusual noise down-stairs
woke her, and the next moment Betty rushed in screaming, "Oh, Molly,
Molly, mother and grandfather's killed; both of 'em! Oh, dear! oh, dear!"
For an instant Molly seemed stunned, she scarcely comprehended Betty's
words, then as the child repeated, "They're killed! they're both killed;
the horses ran away and threw 'em out," she too uttered a cry of anguish,
and grasping the arms of her chair, made desperate efforts to rise; but
all in vain, and with a groan she sank back, and covering her face with
her hands, shed the bitterest tears her impotence had ever yet cost her.
Betty had run away again, and she was all alone. Oh, how hard it was for
her to be chained there in such an agony of doubt and distress! She
forcibly restrained her groans and sobs, and listened intently.
The Conlys, except Cal, were still at the North; the house seemed
strangely quiet, only now and then a stealthy step or a murmur of voices
and occasionally a half smothered cry from Bob or Betty.
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