Madame told no one what she would say to Ezra, and made no promises as to how she would say it.
CHAPTER XX.
MADAME’S SYMPATHY.
When Madame saw the white covers of the returning waggons creeping across the prairie she set out to meet Ezra in order to deliver her message to him. Her manner was as quiet and collected as ever, her white smooth brow was perfectly unruffled, and her blue eyes were as gentle in expression as her friends had ever known them to be. Was her heart in reality as calm as her outward appearance would have led the casual observer to conclude? No one ever knew what was passing in Madame’s mind. Still she must have known that she was about to stab to the heart a man upon whose friendship she had seemed to set great value. Having reached the slope over Weddell’s Gully, whence she could see that blackened field where she had saved Ezra on the night of the fire, she sat down and waited until his waggon came up.
“Ah, Madame!” said he cheerily, as he pulled up. “How glad I am to get home again! It has seemed such a long four days to me.”
“And to us also,” answered Madame.
“All well, I hope,” said Ezra reaching down his hand in order to help her up to the seat beside himself.
“We have had misfortunes at Perfection City. The brown mare has been stolen.”
“What! Queen Katharine gone, and our most valuable animal too! That is indeed a loss!”
“Just wait a few minutes,” said she, putting her hand on his to stop him from giving the signal to the horses to start on again. “I have some things to talk about, Ezra. Do you remember that night, not long ago in reality, though it seems an age, when I found you lying here on the edge of the fire?”
“Is it likely I could ever forget that or who it was came to my rescue?” said Ezra warmly.