As for me, I felt that I must laugh--cry. Did ever such a ridiculous
thing, such a wonderful, glorious thing, such a perfectly awful thing,
happen to any other girl that ever lived?
I was living the scene again--seeing the mass of heads, the sea of
upturned faces. Again I was gazing into the one face that had been
distinct, the eyes that had drawn mine in all that blur and confusion,
that had looked back at me, as if in answer to my voiceless call for help,
with strength and good cheer. Even in the moment of my utmost terror, I
had been sustained by that message from Ned Hynes. How did I chance to see
him just at that crisis, when I didn't know of his presence? And why
didn't he come to us afterwards, as John did?
Mrs. Baker and Ethel saw us leave the box, and were at home with Uncle
almost as soon as we.
"Are you safe, Nelly?" Aunt cried, rushing at me; then, with the sharpness
of tense nerves, she rebuked the Judge: "Ba-ake, you hissed her!"
"Nay, my dear; in the interests of music, I frowned upon disorder." He
added, with waving of his antennae eyebrows: "It was Helen's first opera."
We all laughed hysterically, and then Mrs.
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