The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1909-12-08
CHAPTER Xxx.

The Repentance That Came Too Late,
For the first time in his life the man
or the island played the coward. He
was afraid to be alone. The others.
the officers of the ship, that is, not
Langford-he had gone back to his
own yacht, declining the captains in.
vitation to dinner-would have re-
spected the islanders mood and have
left him to himself, but it was evil
dent that he craved their society.
Whitaker and the old chaplain sus-
pected how it would be with him, but
they knew that sooner or later he
would ave to retire to rest, and soon
er or later he would be alone.
And then his grief was so obvious,
that in accordance with natural and
commendable tendency they strove to
cheer him up. They encouraged him
to ask questions. They told him
many things in reply that the woman
could not have told him; that he had
half dimly suspected, but had not
known. They cleared up to him many
things which had seemed mysterious
and strange to him.
And on their part they marveled at
the things he did know, at the thor
oughness with which he had been
taught. and at the wonderful acute
ness of perception which he displayed.
The woman had marveled at it, too,
but she had become used to it in three
years of intimacy. They saw it i'm
mediately with greater surprise.
in such engrossing conversation the
long hours passed until the striking
couplets of the bell forward tolled
eight and it was midnight No one
had any desire to sleep in view of
the unusual and stimulating expert
ence which both parties to the inter-
change of thought in the play of ques-
ton and answer were enjoying. But
It was the captain, hard-headed and
practical, who gave the signal for re-
firing The men were not accustomed
to disregard even the suggestions of
the autocrat Of the ship.
A spare cabin in the wardroom had
been arranged for the islander, and
there provided with the unwonted lux
ury of night wear after hearty
Goodnight" from the lieutenant COM
mander and a fervent God bless you"
from the old chaplain, he was left
to his own devices. The strangeness
of his situation, the soft bed, the
snowy linen, the silk pajamas, the con-
filming area of the cabin, the sudden
touch with luxuries of civilization
would in itself have kept him awake
had he been as heart whole and as
care free as when the woman had
landed upon the island. But, indeed,
the strangeness of these things
aroused no emotions in his mind at
all, for the moment he was alone his
thoughts, which he had been fighting
desperately to keep upon other things,
reverted to her. What was she doing
for the first time alone upon that is
land? What was she thinking? He
realized that no more than he could
she be sleeping.
These were the first moments that
he could give to reflection, tho frst
quiet hours that he could spend in
considering the situation and in get
ting back his rudely disturbed bal
ance. There had been method IN his
training, and he had been taught the
value of considering series Of events
logically in all their lights and bear
inss. Lying in the comfortable berth
he reviewed at length and deliberate
II the history of his life from the day
that he had been born whom he nrst
bent over her sleeping upon the sand
until that great glad hour when. the
earthquake enlishtening him. he tore
the rocks asunder. clasped her IN his
arms and pressed the first kiss that
he had ever given any one upon her
lips.
Unfinchingly he reviewed with
what calmness he could muster the
scenes of the morning and the day.
He forced himself to consider IN all
its lights and bearings the informa-
ton that had been given to him. He
tortured himself by the deliberate
slow recalling Of every detail, and
then, quivering a. II under the stimu-
lus Of some blow upon q raw wound.