But neither expressed his thought to the other.
Presently, the music ceased, and they sat for an hour, perhaps, in
silence--as close friends may do--exchanging only now and then a word.
Suddenly, they were startled by a cry. In the still darkness of the night,
from the mysterious depths of the orange grove, the sound came with such a
shock that the two men, for the moment, held their places,
motionless--questioning each other sharply--"What was that?" "Did you
hear?"--as though they doubted, almost, their own ears.
The cry came again; this time, undoubtedly, from that neighboring house to
the west. It was unmistakably the cry of a woman--a woman in fear and
pain.
They leaped to their feet.
Again the cry came from the black depths of the orange grove--shuddering,
horrible--in an agony of fear.
The two men sprang from the porch, and, through the darkness that in the
orange grove was like a black wall, ran toward the spot from which the
sound came--the dog at their heels.
Breathless, they broke into the little yard in front of the tiny box-like
house. Lights shone in the windows. All seemed peaceful and still. Czar
betrayed no uneasiness. Going to the front door, they knocked.
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