The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1910-04-27
XII.
Continued.

And into the sacristy, notebook in
hand, stalks Miss Burke, her sharp
little point Of a nose crimsoned by the
sun, her boots thick with unsavory
harbor mud. A dirty small boy in a
dirtier surplice, one of the function
aries of the church, attends her.
Belinda and Captain Temple come
in at once from the balcony. Be
linda, to whom. as we know, the
small change falsehoods of conven-
tionality are not familiar, hangs her
head and is silent. Roger has the
extraordinary assurance to express
his satisfaction at the meeting. and
to add-Miss Burke watching his
face; I blush for him as I write it
that they were looking for her"
so I perceive" says the lady curt
1y. Looking for me in a church!
May I inquire also whether you have
looked for a hotel and ordered din
ner? I believe, Captain Temple. it
was for that purpose you left me
alone in the boat"
well, 1.-the fact is, I don't
know that we came across any hotel"
says Roger, with an air of %penitence.
But if you and Belinda will remain
here L"
II have found a hotel and I have
ordered dinner" says Miss Burke.
when a gentleman" with a north
ern emphasis on the word, when a
gentleman happens to belong to my
party, I invariably take care to see to
all practical matters myself. Luckily
I am accustomed to independence"
She turns tartly away, and with
the help of her small cicerone pro-
ceeds to overhaul the relics of the
place and to catalogue them in the
irrepressible notebook for literary
use.
Belinda keeps s%tudiously by her
side, and away from Roger. The
sound Of Miss Burke's voice, the eX-
preston Of Miss Burke's eye, have
brought the poor child back roughly
from Elysium to the world of fact.
They eat their dinner of strange
hefbs, garlic predominant, at the n
modest posada the town possesses;
drink coffee, or what the %innkeeper
writes in his bill as coffee, in the
street, the whole population, lay and
clerical. Of Fontarabia looking on;
then with the quick southern night
falls suddenly on plain and noun
tain. and they prepare to return, Be-
inda's promised six hours of happi-
ness are all but spent.
Miss Burke insists that she, and
she alone, shall make the bargain for
the carriage.
After half an hours hot contest,
Miss Burke has succeeded in beating
the cochero down to the very lowest
fraction for which mortal souls may
be conveyed across the frontier to st.
Jean de Luz; the fruits of her moral
courage being the oldest, craziest
carriage that Fontarabia can pro-
duce, with e horse gaunt and sha-
dowy as eve came from Dore's pencil
In his illustrations of Don Quixote.
The cranky vehicle is so heavy, the
horse so weak. that long before they
reach the frontier bridge at Irun they
are going at snail's pace; by the time
they commence the ascent Of Behobia
they have come to a dead stop. The
driver descends from his box; swears
fearfully in Spanish, French, Basque;
cracks his whip, applies his shoulder,
or goes through the pantomime of ap-
plying it to the wheel. In vain. Not
a step farther can poor Rosinante
stir.
Roger and Belinda jump out at
once; Miss Burke refuses to move,
again on principle. The man under
took to drive her from Fontarabia to
st. Jean de Luz, and he shall hold to
his bargain, if he take the whole
night about it.
$50 fate" has her way. On goes
the cranky carriage; on go the swear
ing driver and the high-souled Burke;
Belinda and Roger are left alone
once more.