He took it with a
hand that seemed steady, but the next instant it slipped through his
fingers and smashed on the floor. He turned sharply, not heeding it.
Most of the men in the room were on their way out to view the
catastrophe for themselves. He made as if to follow them; then, as if
struck by a sudden thought, he paused.
Ronnie, deathly pale, and shaking all over, was fighting his way back to
self-control. Baring moved back to him with less of stiffness and more
of his usual strength of purpose.
"Do you care to come with me?" he said.
Ronnie looked up at him. Then, though he still shivered violently, he
got up without speaking; and, in silence, they went away together.
XV
THE NIGHT OF DESPAIR
Not till more than two hours later did Ronnie break his silence. He
would have tramped the hills all night above the flooded valley, but
Baring would not suffer it. He dragged him almost forcibly away from
the scene of desolation, where the water still flowed strongly, carrying
trees and all manner of wreckage on its course. And, though he was
almost beside himself, the boy yielded at last. For Baring compelled
obedience that night.
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