I hurried on, looking neither to right nor left, seeing only the
face of Charmian, now fearful and appealing, now blazing with
scorn. And coming to the brook, I sat down, and thought upon her
marvellous beauty, of the firm roundness of the arms that my
fingers had so lately pressed. Anon I started up again, and
plunged, knee-deep, through the brook, and strode on and on,
bursting my way through bramble and briar, heedless of their
petty stings, till at last I was clear of them, being now among
trees. And here, where the shadow was deepest, I came upon a
lurking figure--a figure I recognized--a figure there was no
mistaking, and which I should have known in a thousand.
A shortish, broad-shouldered man, clad in a blue coat, who stood
with his back towards me, looking down into the Hollow, in the
attitude of one who waits--for what? for whom?
He was cut off from me by a solitary bush, a bramble, that seemed
to have strayed from its kind and lost itself, and, running upon
my toes, I cleared this bush at a bound, and, before the fellow
had realized my presence, I had pinned him by the collar.
"Damn you!--show your face!" I cried, and swung him round so
fiercely that he staggered, and his hat fell off.
Then, as I saw, I clasped my head between my hands, and fell
back--staring.
A grizzled man with an honest, open face, a middle-aged man whose
homely features were lighted by a pair of kindly blue eyes, just
now round with astonishment.
"Lord!--Mr. Peter!" he exclaimed.
"Adam!" I groaned. "Oh, God forgive me, it's Adam!"
"Lord! Mr. Peter," said he again, "you sure give me a turn, Sir!
But what's the matter wi' you, sir? Come, Mr. Peter, never
stare so wild like--come, sir, what is it?"
"Tell me--quick!" said I, catching his hand in mine, "you have
been here many times before of late?"
"Why--yes, Mr. Peter, but--"
"Quick!" said I; "on one occasion she took you into the cottage
yonder and showed you a book--you looked at it over her
shoulder?"
"Yes, sir--but--"
"What sort of book was it?"
"A old book, sir, wi' the cover broke, and wi' your name writ
down inside of it; 'twas that way as she found out who you was--"
"Oh, Adam!" I cried. "Oh, Adam! now may God help me!" And,
dropping his hand, I turned and ran until I reached the cottage;
but it was empty, Charmian was gone.