Into the presence of the miller he thundered, and for a time said nothing of the conflict from which he had come.  The scene needs no special narration.  Vain words and wishes, oaths and curses, filled John Grimbal’s mouth.  He stamped on the floor, finding it impossible to remain motionless, roared the others down, loaded the miller with bitter reproaches for his blindness, silenced Mr. Blee on every occasion when he attempted to join the discussion.  The man, in fine, exhibited that furious, brute passion and rage to be expected from such a nature suddenly faced with complete dislocation of cherished hopes.  His life had been a long record of success, and this tremendous reverse, on his first knowledge of it, came near to unhinge John Grimbal’s mind.  Storm succeeded storm, explosion followed upon explosion, and the thought of the vanity of such a display only rendered him more frantic.  Then chance reminded the raging maniac of that thing he had done, and now, removed from the deed by a little time, he gloried in it.

“Blast the devil—­short shrift he got—­given straight into my hand!  I swore to kill him when I heard it; an’ I have—­pitched him over the bridge and broken his blasted neck.  I’d burn in ragin’ hell through ten lifetimes to do it again.  But that’s done once for all.  And you can tell your whore of a daughter she’s a widow, not a wife!”

“God be gude to us!” cried Billy, while Mr. Lyddon started in dismay.  “Is this true you’m tellin’?  Blue murder?  An’ so, like’s not, his awn mother’ll find un when she goes to draw water in the marnin’!”

“Let her, and his sister, too; and my God-damned brother!  All in it—­every cursed one of ’em.  I’d like—­I’d like—­Christ—­”

He broke off, was silent for a moment, then strode out of the room towards the staircase.  Mr. Lyddon heard him and rushed after him with Billy.  They scrambled past and stood at the stair-foot while Grimbal glanced up in the direction of Phoebe’s room, and then glared at the two old men.

“Why not, you doddering fools?  Can you still stand by her, cursed jade of lies?  My work’s only half done!  No man’s ever betrayed me but he’s suffered hell for it; and no woman shall.”

He raged, and the two with beating hearts waited for him.

Then suddenly laughing aloud, the man turned his back, and passed into the night without more words.

“Mad, so mad as any zany!” gasped Mr. Blee.  “Thank God the whim’s took un to go.  My innards was curdlin’ afore him!”

The extravagance of Grimbal’s rage had affected Mr. Lyddon also.  With white and terrified face he crept after Grimbal, and watched that tornado of a man depart.

“My stars!  He do breathe forth threatenings and slaughters worse ’n in any Bible carater ever I read of,” said the miller, “and if what he sez be true—­”

“I’ll wager ’t is.  Theer ’s method in him.  Your son-in-law, if I may say it, be drownded, sure ’s death.  What a world!”