her forehead and eyelashes;
"if you please, my name is Lorna Doone, and I thought you must have
known it."

Young and harmless as she was, her name alone made guilt of her.
Nevertheless, I could not help looking at her tenderly, and the more
when her blushes turned into tears, and her tears to long, low sobs.

"Don't cry," I said, "whatever you do. I am sure you have never done
any harm. I will give you all my fish, Lorna, and catch some more for
mother; only don't be angry with me."

She flung her soft arms up in the passion of her tears, and looked at me
so piteously that what did I do but kiss her. It seemed to be a very odd
thing, when I came to think of it, because I hated kissing so, as all
honest boys must do. But she touched my heart with a sudden delight.

She gave me no encouragement, as my mother in her place would have done;
nay, she even wiped her lips (which methought was rather rude of her),
and drew away, and smoothed her dress, as if I had used a freedom.

I, for my part, being vexed at her behavior to me, took up all my things
to go, and made a fuss about it, to let her know I was going. But she
did not call me back at all, as I had made sure she would do; moreover,
I knew that to try the descent was almost certain death to me, and it
looked as dark as pitch; and so at the mouth I turned round again, and
came back to her, and said, "Lorna."

"Oh, I thought you were gone," she answered; "why did you ever come
here? Do you know what they would do to us if they found you here
with me?"

"Beat us, I dare say, very hard, or me at least. They could never beat
you."

"No. They would kill us both outright, and bury us here by the water;
and the water often tells me that I must come to that."

"But what should they kill me for?"

"Because you have found the way up here, and they could never believe
it. Now, please to go; oh please go. They will kill us both in a moment.
Yes, I like you very much"--for I was teasing her to say it--"very much
indeed, and I will call you John Ridd, if you like; only please to go,
John. And when your feet are well, you know, you can come and tell me
how they are."

"But I tell you, Lorna, I like you very much indeed, nearly as much as
Annie, and a great deal more than Lizzie. And I never saw any one like
you; and I must come back again to-morrow, and so must you, to see me;
and I will bring you such lots of things--there are apples still, and
a thrush that I caught, w