that conversation as we know it was
almost impossible with her companions. They had no outlook over anything
but the material and they seemed to see nothing but the black side of
things. She felt also that any attempt to rally them and cheer them
would be dumbly resented and would only help to widen even more the
division between her and them.

When the meal was finished she put the plates out in the rain to wash
them. Then a bright idea came to her and getting the roll of wire she
asked La Touche to shew her how to make rabbit snares.

La Touche took the roll of wire and held it in his hands for a moment.

"This is all very well," said he, "but where is your wire cutters?"

They had nothing to cut the wire with, and he seemed to look on the fact
as a triumph of his own cleverness over Cleo's, till Bompard intervened
and shewed how, by knotting the wire and pulling hard, a break might be
made. This accomplished, and three lengths of wire having been
procured, the surly one proceeded to make a snare and to demonstrate how
it might be set.

At the end of the business the girl regretted that she had ever started
it. She had put herself under the tuition of La Touche and allowed the
intimacy of master and pupil, allowed even in this slight way that he
was her superior.

A yelling wind from the mountains arose that afternoon and drove the
rain away across the islands. It held for half an hour and then of a
sudden ceased and a howling wind from the islands rose and drove the
rain back again towards the mountains.

The sea suddenly seemed to go mad, with cross currents meeting. Waves
seemed fighting waves and the gulls seemed filled with the general
torment, clanging and blowing about hither and thither like leaves in
autumn.

Cleo went to her cave and wrapping herself in one of the blankets, with
the other folded double to lie upon, took her place upon the floor with
her head on the sailcloth.

It was her first really bad moment. Her first moment of real depression.
The rain and the fact that their position as regarded food was secure,
so that there was nothing to fight against at the moment, conspired to
overthrow her.

Hitherto she had fought bravely and the struggle had kept her up; the
sudden easing of the situation had brought new forces against her. Time
suddenly appeared before her eyes asking: "How are you to kill me? You
can't, you have no weapons. Would you like a book? Would you like
embroidery work t