The Stolen Singer

mond, can y

e faintly, as if it

coverings, but she was wide awake almost at the first words James had spoken. Faint as the voice had

bearing. She had to creep along the sand to where Jim lay. The fire had burned wholly out, and the sand felt damp as she

be taking care of you! I'll make the fire and

her feet, she became aware that the man was fumb

r his words, which w

anted to know if you were there," he said di

gently and touching his head s

en't you, after your sleep? Don

. When I woke up I thought I had a beastly chill or something; but I'm all right

own words, and Ag

ck. When she came back with it, James tried manfully to sit up; but Agatha slipped an arm under his neck, in skilful nurse fashion,

ow I'm going to build up the fire

cold any more. And you must go to sleep again. I ought

had lots of sleep; I

r than it was that other n

er," answe

k some more. Agatha watched, and when he had finished, patted him a

h had run dry. Will you think me very ungra

could only get us a little bit from a

e Jim made out to inqu

d us-out of the water-wh

ll, now that he seemed almost himself again, save for the chill, she ventured to refer to the event, speaking in a matter-of-fact way, as if such endurance tests were t

e, like David, or Jonah, or some such person, out of the seething billows. But I di

s get away from here: a carriage or wagon

quite feebly, "You poor thing!" And then

and Mr. Hand

our tags," lau

ugh the weakness in Jim's voice was a

omewhere near the coast. I myself think it must at least be Nova Scotia, or possibly Newfoundland. But Hand will

ain. She tended it until a good steady heat spread over the rocks, and then r

ntly. In the long intervals between their talk, Agatha's head would fall, her eyes would close, and she would almost sleep; but an undercurrent of anxiety concerning her companion kept her

been much good-fo

"You were quite exhausted, I thin

right at this, as much for the feeling of re

d a job, with us two on

or than he had shown before. "He's a great

I hope," said Agatha, s

hink I'll be about and good for

s must have gone to sleep again. He thought likewise of her, i

ll awake, Ag

quite. Do you

ht's awful trouble?" He seemed to be wholly lost as to time. "Did you come off wit

satisfy James for the moment. "Though," she added, "here i

one. Presently he began once more: "I want to know,

I had time to think about

ays; but I guess I'll tell, after all-just you.

at first; for there had been other Sundays and other

oft but insistent sound and echoes of sound. At the back of her mind, Agatha heard it always, low, threatening, and strong; but on the surface of her thoughts, she was try

, Jimmy, Jimsy, Bud-I'm called most anything. But I wanted to tell yo

of pain, lest illness and exhaustion had wrought havoc in his frame deeper than she knew. But as she bent over him, his features lighted up with his rare smile-an expression full

began again, "that whatever

gatha, thinking in her heart that the

anxiety. She couldn't bear to see him suffer-this man who had so suddenly become a friend, who had b

Agatha thought certainly that now he was delirious, but she had no heart to stop his gentle earnestness. He went on: "But you woke me up. And I wouldn't have missed this last

lm whither she could not follow. Either his hour of sanity and calmness had passed, and fever had taken hold upon his system; or fatigue, mental and phy

er thoughts went back over the years, recalling she knew not what irrelevant matters from the past. Perhaps by some underlying

n, free of my b

I shall

James Hambleton, it appeared, had heard her sing it; and somehow

never break. He would always be different to her, by reason of that night and what she chose to term his splendid heroism. She had seen him in his hour of strength, that hour when the overman makes half-gods out of mortals. It was the heart of youth, plus the endurance of the man, that