On her other side
one of her fellow bridesmaids was stooping over her, holding a glass of
water.
"You fainted from the heat," she explained. "But you are better now. I
shouldn't go back if I were you. It's just over."
With a sense of shame Ruth withdrew her hand from Tots.
"I'm sorry," she murmured.
"Nonsense!" said Tots kindly. "Nobody's blamin' you, my child. It's this
infernal heat. You stay quietly here for a bit. I must go back and see
that Danvers signs his name all right. But I'll come and fetch you
afterwards."
He departed, and Ruth suddenly realised an urgent need for solitude. She
turned to her cousin.
"Do please go! I shall be all right. It is cool and shady here. And they
will be looking for you in the vestry. Please go! I will wait till--Tots
comes back."
Her cousin demurred a little, but it was obvious that her inclination
fell in with Ruth's request, and it was also quite obvious that Ruth did
not want her. So, after some persuasion, she yielded and went.
During the interval that followed, Ruth sat in the quiet corner just out
of sight of the vestry door, bracing herself to meet Tots and implore
him to set her free. It was a bad quarter of an hour for her, and when,
at the end of it, Tots came, she looked on the verge of fainting again.
"Sorry I couldn't come before," said Tots. "But my responsibilities are
over now, thank the gods.
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