FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132  
133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   >>   >|  
ked without hesitation. He evidently knew the place well. They came at length upon a second clearing, smaller than the first, and here in the centre of a moonlit space there stood the ruined walls of a little native temple or mausoleum. A flight of worn, marble steps led to the dark arch of the doorway. Monck stretched a hand to his companion, and they ascended side by side. A bubbling murmur of water came from within. It seemed to fill the place with gurgling, gnomelike laughter. They entered and Monck stood still. For a space of many seconds he neither moved nor spoke. It was almost as if he were waiting for some signal. They looked forth into the moonlight they had left through the cave-like opening. The air around them was chill and dank. Somewhere in the darkness behind them a frog croaked, and tiny feet scuttled and scrambled for a few moments and then were still. Again Stella shivered, drawing her cloak more closely round her. "Why did you bring me to this eerie place?" she said, speaking under her breath involuntarily. He stirred as if her words aroused him from a reverie. "Are you afraid?" he said. "I should be--- by myself," she made answer. "I don't think I like India at too close quarters. She is so mysterious and so horribly ruthless." He passed over the last two sentences as though they had not been uttered. "But you are not afraid with me?" he said. She quivered at something in his question. "I am not sure," she said. "I sometimes think that you are rather ruthless too." "Do you know me well enough to say that?" he said. She tried to answer him lightly. "I ought to by this time. I have had ample opportunity." "Yes," he said rather bitterly. "But you are prejudiced. You cling to a preconceived idea. If you love me--it is in spite of yourself." Something in his voice hurt her like the cry of a wounded thing. She made a quick, impulsive movement towards him. "Oh, but that is not so!" she said. "You don't understand. Please don't think anything so--so hard of me!" "Are you sure it is not so?" he said. "Stella! Stella! Are you sure?" The words pierced her afresh. She suddenly felt that she could bear no more. "Oh, please!" she said. "Oh, please!" and laid a quivering hand upon his arm. "You are making it very difficult for me. Don't you realize how much better it would be for your own sake not to press me any further?" "No!" he said; just the one word, spoken doggedly, almost
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132  
133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
Stella
 

answer

 

ruthless

 
afraid
 
lightly
 
quarters
 

mysterious

 

quivered

 

sentences

 

uttered


question
 
horribly
 

passed

 

difficult

 

realize

 

making

 

quivering

 

spoken

 

doggedly

 

suddenly


Something
 

bitterly

 

prejudiced

 
preconceived
 

wounded

 
Please
 
pierced
 

afresh

 

understand

 

impulsive


movement

 

opportunity

 
companion
 
stretched
 

ascended

 
bubbling
 

murmur

 

doorway

 

marble

 

seconds


entered

 

laughter

 
gurgling
 

gnomelike

 
flight
 
clearing
 

smaller

 

length

 
hesitation
 

evidently