“I couldn’t. I didn’t want to— That is, I—I—he took me so by surprise. And you hadn’t once mentioned love to me then, Andy. And who could hurt his feelings—he’s such a dear—such a manly man!”
“But you knew I was going to blurt it out sometime—when I found my nerve.”
“I know—I felt it, I guess. But—oh, don’t think of Doctor Shonto to-night. I love you—I love you! I don’t want to think of anything else in all the world!”
The hour was late when they returned to camp, floating in air. The doctor had long since sought his blankets. They lengthened the good-night kiss of their new-found love, for in the morning there would be no opportunity to kiss before the parting.
Charmian, Andy, and Shonto had talked at length over the directions given to Andy by the defaulting Henry for the continuation of the journey. Before the girl and Andy had gone down the gorge for their love-making all arrangements had been made for an early-morning start.
The four were rather silent as they ate breakfast in the frosty cañon. Mary Temple assumed the initiative in such conversation as was indulged in, fussing over the out-going pair, as needlessly agitated as a mother hen, a couple of whose brood are ducklings and persist in taking to the water. But at last the meal was over, the good-byes were spoken, the packs and water-bags shouldered, the final love message wirelessed between Charmian and Andy. And now Mary stood needlessly shading her eyes with her hand as she watched the couple up the gorge, so dismal at that early-morning hour, while Andy watched from a seat on a large boulder, spread-legged, with hands clasped between his knees, hopelessness in his eyes.
Then shrilly shouted the mother hen after her erring ducklings:
“Doctor! Doc-tor! Did you leave Andy plenty of his little pills?”
Poor Mary Temple! She was not gifted with the ability to look into the future for which she gave Madame Destrehan credit. Had she been able to she could have envisioned Dr. Shonto trudging wearily back to her and Andy six days later—alone.
Half a mile up the clammy cañon from the camp Charmian and the doctor turned abruptly to the right and entered a steep branch cañon that tentacled from the larger one to the south. Their course was still due south, according to the bewhiskered deserter, and, as they carried a dependable compass, it was without misgivings that they abandoned landmarks which they knew and clambered upward into an unknown country.