Islands -- Fiction; Love stories; New England -- Fiction; Swindlers and swindling -- Fiction
"Come, dear," he added, when the gorge was reached and he had assisted
her down, "let's leave the violin here and hunt for sea-shells. I want
some to carry away." And like two children they clambered over the rocks
the tide had left bare, picking up the starfish, chill to the touch,
sea-urchins, snail shells, sailors' money purses, tossed above the tide
level and dried black and hard, and watching the anemones and crabs left
prisoners in pools between the rocks. Overhead the gulls circled and far
to seaward the white sails of coasters and fishermen gleamed in the
sunlight, and beside Winn, following wherever he went, Mona, with her
appealing eyes. They talked of nothings, as usual, and he stole covert
looks at her face, noting how the sea winds played havoc with her
loosened hair.
Later they sought the cave where the ferns and flowers she had brought
the day before lay withered.
"I am going to leave all but one each of the starfish and shells we have
gathered," he said, "here in our little nook, and see if we will find
them when I come back."
"We shall," she replied, "for no one ever comes here but me, and I will
watch them."
It was a child's thought, but there are moments in our lives when to act
like children is a relief.
"I hope you will come here often," he added, "and feel this is our
playhouse, and when I think of you I shall always see you as you are now
and in this cave. And you must keep up your practice and I shall send
you some new music and write to you, and if you have a picture of
yourself, I should like it."
"I have only one, taken when I was a little girl," she answered, "but
you shall have it."
He could have had her heart, and soul even, had he asked it.
"Now play for me, dear," he said very gently, "some of the old songs you
play best."
And once again, as many times before, Winn visited the banks of "Bonnie
Doon" and the fields of heather over which the tartan-clad ranks marched
to the tune of "The Blue Bells of Scotland" and "The Campbells are
Coming." And he heard the pipes droning and saw "Bonnie Dundee" with
waving plume and the sweet lassie "Comin' thro' the Rye," and heard the
love plaint of "Robin Adair," "Auld Robin Grey," and the undying
heart-cry of sweet "Annie Laurie."
And into these was blended the low lullaby of the ocean.
When it was all ended and the twilight had come, without a word he held
out his hand, and slowly and in silence gently guided her footsteps out
of the gorge. Along the devious way among the ledges he led her, a
drooping flower, thirsting for one drop of the water of life, one word
of love, ay, one word of pity!
The purple shade of coming night had crept in from the wide ocean ere
they reached the old stone tower, and here he paused. Full well he knew
what every impulse of his own heart called upon him to utter, and yet
his lips were dumb. Full well he knew how the girl who stood beside him
felt, and the heartache that was her portion.
And still he was silent!
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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