His tones thrilled her, she felt faint with happiness. Suddenly came the
thought: "When we find her, she will tell him! She will tell him all I
said."
"Don't believe her; don't believe anything she may tell you," she
entreated, passionately. A fierce feeling took possession of her; she
would fight for her happiness. "Am I nothing to you?" she said, pausing;
"my wish nothing? Promise me not to believe anything Cicely says against
me,--anything! It's all an hallucination."
Paul had not paid much heed to her exclamations, he thought all women
incoherent; but he perceived that she was excited, exhausted, and he
laid his hand protectingly on her hair, smoothing it with tender touch.
"Why should I mind what she says? It would be impossible for her to say
anything that could injure you in _my_ eyes, Eve."
Beyond the next point they saw a light; it came from a little fire of
twigs on the beach. Beside the fire was Jack; he was carefully wrapped
in the shawl, the two poor little packets of clothing were arranged
under him as a bed; Cicely's straw hat was under his head, and her
handkerchief covered his feet. But there was no Cicely. They went up and
down the beach, and into the wood behind; again Eve looked fearfully at
the water.
"She isn't far from Jack," said Paul. "We shall find her in a moment or
two."
Eve's search stopped. "In a moment or two he will know!"
"Here she is!" cried Paul.
And there was Cicely, sitting close under the bank in the deepest
shadow. She did not move; Paul lifted her in his arms.
"The moon is under a cloud now," she explained, in a whispering voice;
"as soon as it comes out, I shall see Ferdie over there on the opposite
shore, and I shall call to him. "Don't let that fire go out, I haven't
another match; he will need the light as a guide."
"She thinks she is on Singleton Island!" said Eve;--"the night we got
away."
Her tone was joyous.
XXVI.
PAUL AND EVE took Cicely back to the camp. And almost immediately,
before Mrs. Mile could undress her, she had fallen asleep. It was the
still slumber of exhaustion, but it seemed also to be a rest; she lay
without moving all that night, and the next day, and the night
following. As she slumbered, gradually the tenseness of her face was
relaxed, the lines grew lighter, disappeared; then slowly a pink colored
her cheeks, restoring her beauty.
They all came softly in from time to time to stand beside her for a
moment. The nurse was sure that the sleep was nature's medicine, and
that it was remedial; and when at last, on the second day, the dark eyes
opened, it could be seen that physically the poor child was well.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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