The Comrade., 1910-10-28
CHAPTER Xxx.

The Repentance That Came Too Late
For the first time in his life the man
Of the island played the coward. no s,
was afraid to be alone. The Others
the officers of the ship, that is, not
Langford-he had gone back to MS .
own yacht, declining the captains 1u7
yitation to dinner-would nave 1e'
snected the islanders mood and hato
left him to himself, but it was <s1-
dent that he craved their socle1y'
Whitaker and the old chaplain sas'
nected how it would be with him, Dut
they knew that sooner or later he
would have 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 ana
commendable tendency they strove 10
cheer him up. They encouraged MN
to ask questions They told hlm
many things in reply that the woman
could not have told him; that he had
J, half dimly suspected, but had not
I known They cleared up to him many
things which had seemed mysterious
ond arnls5 Strange 70 him j
e And on their part they marveled At
). the things he did know, at the tnor-
oughness with which he had been
s. taught, and at the wonderful acute
k ness of perception which he displayed.
10 The woman had marveled at 1t, too.
70 but she had become used to it in three
t? years of intimacy They saw it I'M
is mediately with greater surprise.
e. A spare cabin in the wardroom had
been arranged for the islander, and
he there provided with the unwonted lux.
ds ury Of night wear after a hearts
is Goodnight" from the lieutenant com.
mander and a fervent "God bless you"
70 from the old chaplain, he was lefr
nv to his own devices. The strangeness
of his situation, the soft bed, the
he snowy linen, the silk pajamas, the con- con-
fning area of the cabin, the sudden len
y, touch with luxuries Of civilization
n's would in itself have kept him aWaKe sall
had he been as heart whole and as
.o care free az when the woman NAG
w. landed upon the island. But indeed
,oo the strangeness Of these thlnss 1l
'oa aroused no emotions in his mind a
~ all, for the moment he was alone n1i
m ,.e, thoughts, which he had been f1gntlnl
49, desnerately to keep upon other things
~ reverted to her. What was she dolnl
sno sao for the first time alone upon that Il
~ ,andq What was she thinking? -
tod realized that no more than ne cou' -
.;on she be sleeping. &.
,'oa 11nfinchingly he reviewed VII
,ing what calmness he could muster u
;aa scenes of the morning and the "a:
49, 49, Va forced himself to consider IN
md it's lights and bearings the inform. =,
cho co. tion that had been given to him =
oaa tortured himself by the deilberat
tah slow recalling of every detail, an
reo+ then. ouivering as if under the slim
10 1us Of some blow upon raw Woun
az. he reviewed his own conduct. Enlgn
T. onment came to him IN that dark al
orod Silent hour. He discovered first OF .
that he loved her; that the check a a
counter-check and variation and alte
;, ~ ~ alton in his emotions had been swe swe
n,os ~ away in great development OF
ould more 'rahs.enu'ne ,san.;an q !,
hing snoulo asA il'1' 80. ,lias - ,o,,oa !
bout. MORO" as " &c.
+ho as he had on that never-to-be1org
vet ten night, he would still Answer ]
noe because he loved her more.
(TO BE CONTINUED)
side, Oh, That There Were others.