Adventure stories; Islands -- Fiction; Love stories; Shipwrecks -- Fiction
"I mean," she went on confusedly, "he might think we had waited too
long." She was thinking of Veath's wistful eyes.
"Hello! Here you are," cried a strong voice, and Veath loomed up through
the shadows. Hugh released her hand and dropped back in the chair from
which he had half risen to kiss her. "You hide away like a pair of silly
lovers. There's nothing prosaic about this brother and sister. Do you
know, I have often marvelled over one thing in connection with you. You
don't look any more like brother and sister than the sea looks like
dry land."
The pair caught breath sharply and Hugh almost snorted aloud. Grace
could do nothing but look up to where she saw the red fluctuating glow
of a cigar tip in the darkness. It made her think of a little moon which
could breathe like herself.
"It all goes to show how deceptive appearances can be," went on Veath
easily. "Don't you want to walk, Miss Ridge? I'm sure you need
exercise."
"I promised Hugh I would drive away his blues, Mr. Veath. Thank you,
but I believe I'll sit here for a while and then go below," she said, a
trifle disconnectedly.
"We'll take Hugh along," said Veath obligingly. "Come along, both of
you."
"Excuse me, Henry, but I don't feel like walking," said Hugh, a tinge of
sullenness in his manner.
"Lazy, eh? Well, I'll bring Miss Ridge back in half an hour. You
wouldn't have me wander about this dismal old boat alone, would you?
Smoke a cigar, Hugh, and I'll take care of your sister while you count
the stars." He offered Hugh a cigar.
Hugh rose suddenly and started away.
"Hugh!" called she, "come and walk with us." He could distinguish the
loving entreaty, the trouble in her tones, but he was unreasonable.
"Never mind me," he sang out with an assumption of cheerfulness. Grace
flushed hotly, her heart swelling with injured pride. Without another
word she rose and walked away with Veath. Indignation burned within her
soul until she went to sleep, hours afterward.
Ridgeway stamped the full length of the promenade before he came to an
understanding with himself. On reaching that understanding, he whirled
and walked back to where he had left them, expecting to find Veath
occupying the chair he had vacated. Of course they were not to be found,
so he threw himself on one of the chairs, more miserable than he had
been since they started on their voyage. The lady in the chair to his
left stirred nervously and then a soft laugh came from her lips.
"Are you sleepy, Mr. Ridge?" she asked. Hugh turned quickly and looked
into the face of Lady Huntingford.
"Not at all," he replied. "But how strange it seems that you should
always appear like the fairy queen when I am most in need of a bracer.
Oh, I beg your pardon," he went on, rising in some perturbation. "I
forgot that there is a--a barrier between us. War has been declared,
I fear."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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