The Project Gutenberg EBook of Afterwards, by Kathlyn Rhodes

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Title: Afterwards

Author: Kathlyn Rhodes

Release Date: June 19, 2007 [EBook #21867]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK AFTERWARDS ***

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_Afterwards_

_By Kathlyn Rhodes_

_Author of "The Desert Dreamers," "The Will of Allah," "The Lure of the
Desert," etc._

LONDON: HUTCHINSON & CO.
PATERNOSTER ROW

PRINTED IN GREAT BRITAIN BY
RICHARD CLAY & SONS, LIMITED,
BRUNSWICK ST., STAMFORD ST., S. E. 1,
AND BUNGAY, SUFFOLK.

_PROLOGUE_

I

"Dr. Anstice"--the girl spoke slowly, and her voice was curiously
flat--"how much longer have we--before dawn?"

Without replying, the man glanced at his watch; and when he spoke his
voice, too, was oddly devoid of tone.

"I think--only an hour now."

"Only an hour." In the gloom of the hut the girl's face grew very pale.
"And then----" She broke off, shuddering.

"Miss Ryder, don't think of it. After all, we need not give up hope yet.
An hour--why, heaps of things may happen in an hour."

A wan little smile touched the girl's lips, and she came a step nearer
her companion.

"Don't let us buoy ourselves up with false hopes," she said quietly. "In
your heart you know quite well that nothing on earth can save us now.
When the sun rises"--in spite of herself she shivered--"we shall die."

The man said nothing for a moment. In his heart he knew she spoke the
truth; yet being a man he tried once more to reassure her.

"Miss Ryder, I won't allow that." Taking her hand he led her once more
to the rude bench on which she had spent the night. "There _is_ a
chance--a faint one, I admit, but still an undeniable chance."

"You mean----?" Although she tried to speak calmly he heard the tiny
thrill of hope in her voice, and in his soul he wondered whether, after
all, he were not acting cruelly in speaking thus.

"I mean our absence must have been noticed long ago. When we did not
re