The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1908-11-07
CHAPTER XVII.

knelt at the rim, bending far down.
CHAPTER XVII.
Constable rested and reflected in the
cistern. It did not occur to him, save in
the most f1imsy and passing way, to doubt
the efficacy of the distance in the case of
Lara. She was safe, eight miles at sea,
and watched over by Macready, whom he
had learned thoroughly to trust. Here
was gladness immovable. Second, for the
present and to all intents, his own life
had been spared. This was not SO impor-
tant in itself, but was exceedingly vital
in consideration of the third point
she loved him, and had said so. His first
worry was that Lara might be thinking
him dead.
The aspect of Constable's mind being
touched upon, it may be well to outline
the state of affairs as third party
would see it. In the first place, there
was woman in his arms, woman whom
the fire had touched and in whom con-
seriousness was not; the mother of the
worlds matchless girl. Then he was sit
ting upon Shiny stone in a subterranean
cell, the floor of which was covered with
six inches of almost scalding water, and
the vault filled with steam. The volcanic
discharge, showering down through the
mouth of the pit, had heated the water
and released the vapor. An earthquake
years before had loosened the stone walls
of the cavern, and with every shudder of
the earth, under the wrath of Pelee, the
masonry lining the cistern tottered. Then.
his hand had been torn during the descent
of the chain, and the terrific heat in the
we'll ivened his burns to exquisite pain
fulness. But, as has been stated, these
were mere cuticle disorders, and the heart
of the man sang again and again its tune
full story.
Pelee was giving vent to the after
pangs. Torrents of rain were descend
ing. The man in the cistern had lost
track of time. Though replenished with
rain, the water was still too hot to step
in; therefore, he could not change his
position and relieve the tension of his
arms. Still, he felt that he owed an as
tonishing debt to the old cistern. No sud-
den impulse had brought him there. Since
he had discovered the place in his nights
vigil, and examined it more closely the
following day, the idea had become fixed
in his mind that it might be used at the
last minute.
The women sighed now and stirred in
his arms. The first gripping realization
took his mind. He waited in embarrass-
ment for her to speak. Would the fact
that he had saved her life stand as ex-
tenuation for his rough treatment? Con-
stable was by no means sure that he was
not about to hear her estimate of him
on the old footing, with the rage of a
manhandled woman added-the whole a
finished document delivered with Mrs.
Stansbury's art and force. But she did
not yet awake.
His brain worked rapidly now. She
had lain upon his shoulder during the de-
scent. Livid dust had fallen through the
orifice. His burns were slight. "
His eyes strained into her face, but the
cistern was dark, dark. The fire had
touched her hair-he knew that. Her
bare arm brushed his cheek, and his whole
| being crawled with fear It
seemed that hours elapsed. Where had
Uncle Joey been at the last? Did Pelee
tolerate any favorites? Breen, Soronia,
1cES ItdUcdUI, XAOuuct, Iuc SuipS III Tie
| inner harbor, the thirty thousand of Saint
Pierre-were they all wrecked in the mills
| of the world? But the Madame
| was eight miles at sea! Pelee had waited
| for the woman. His heart of hearts held
this joy.
The breath Of life was returning to his
| burden. She sighed once more, and then,
| full pityingly, he felt her vince with the
pain which consciousness brought.
"What is this dripping darkness?" he
heard at last. The words were slowly
uttered, and the tones vague In
great dark room somewhere, in a past
| life, perhaps, Constable had heard such
voice from some one lying in the shad-
ows.
1--WE are in the old cistern-you and I,
Peter Constable" His tones became glad
as he added, But your daughter is safe
at sea !"
did you forget something, or did Lara
send you for her parasol?"
| Il came for you-came to tell you how
much we needed you-how much we fear
ed for your life, and to ask you once
| more"
! "What-an-extraord - youth r
she murmured. "Was-there-ever-
darkness
The cavern was dark, but not utterly