After a time four people came out from the house, two of them carrying
colored parasols. I knew them instantly. There was the Middle-Aged Man
of the Sea, and his friend the Shell Man; and there was the Sand Lady,
and my enemy who called herself a Person. They went off toward the
little pier. Sylvia was not with them, nor did she join them. They
entered their boat and sailed away. They were going fishing, as was
their custom. The fact that Sylvia was not with them, and that no one of
them had stayed behind to keep her company, caused my heart to fall. In
cases like mine, it takes very little to make the heart fall. The
thought forced itself into my mind that perhaps, after all, I had seen a
vision, and had been building theories on dreams.
Suddenly the shutter of an upper window opened, and I saw Sylvia!
It was truly Sylvia. She was dressed in white, not gray. Her hair was
massed upon her head. There was no gray bonnet. She looked up at the
sky, then at the trees, and withdrew.
My heart was beating as fast as it pleased. My face was glowing, and
shame had been annihilated. I sat and watched. Presently a door opened,
and Sylvia came out.
Now I rose to my feet. I must go to her. It might not be honorable to
take her at this disadvantage, but there are moments when even honor
must wait for a decision upon its case. However, there was no necessity
for my going to Sylvia; she was coming to me.
As she walked directly to the spot where I stood, I saw Sylvia as I had
seen her in my day-dreams,--a beautiful girl, dressed as a beautiful
girl should dress in summer time. In one hand she carried a portfolio,
in the other a little leathern case. As she came nearer, I saw that she
was attired exactly as Mother Anastasia had been dressed when I met her
here. Nearer she came, but still she did not see me. I was not now
concealed, but her eyes seemed fixed upon the path in which she was
walking.
When she was within a hundred feet of the thicket through which her path
would lead, I advanced to meet her. I tried to appear cool and composed,
but I am afraid my success was slight. As for Sylvia, she stopped
abruptly, and dropped her leathern case. I think that at first she did
not recognize me, and was on the point of screaming. Suddenly to come
upon a man in the midst of these solitudes was indeed startling.
Quickly, however, I made myself known, and her expression of fright
changed to one of amazement. I am happy to say that she took the hand I
offered her, though she seemed to have no words with which to return my
formal greeting. In cases like this, the one who amazes should not
impose upon the amazed one the necessity of asking questions, but should
begin immediately to explain the situation.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account