Audrey Comes to Westover

It was ten of the clock upon this same night when Hugon left the glebe
house. Audrey, crouching in the dark beside her window, heard him bid the
minister, as drunk as himself, good-night, and watched him go unsteadily
down the path that led to the road. Once he paused, and made as if to
return; then went on to his lair at the crossroads ordinary. Again Audrey
waited,--this time by the door. Darden stumbled upstairs to bed. Mistress
Deborah's voice was raised in shrill reproach, and the drunken minister
answered her with oaths. The small house rang with their quarrel, but
Audrey listened with indifference; not trembling and stopping her ears, as
once she would have done. It was over at last, and the place sunk in
silence; but still the girl waited and listened, standing close to the
door. At last, as it was drawing toward midnight, she put her hand upon
the latch, and, raising it very softly, slipped outside. Heavy breathing
came from the room where slept her guardians; it went evenly on while she
crept downstairs and unbarred the outer door. Sure and silent and light of
touch, she passed like a spirit from the house that had given her shelter,
nor once looked back upon it.

The boat, hidden in the reeds, was her destination; she loosed it, and
taking the oars rowed down the creek. When she came to the garden wall,
she bent her head and shut her eyes; but when she had left the creek for
the great dim river, she looked at Fair View house as she rowed past it on
her way to the mountains. No light to-night; the hour was late, and he was
asleep, and that was well.