“Never mind,” said Eve, hastily, as Paul started forward; “I am glad she did it.” Her eyes were bright; the red had come into her other cheek; in spite of the mark of the blow, her face looked brilliant.
Cicely had fallen back; and this time she had lost consciousness.
“You can leave her to me now,” Eve went on. “Of course what she said last means that he is not dead!” she added, with a long breath.
“Dead?” said Paul Tennant. “Poor Ferdie dead? Never!”
Eve had knelt down; she was chafing Cicely’s temples. “Then you care for him very much?” she asked, looking at him for a moment over her shoulder.
“I care for him more than for anything else in the world,” said the brother, shortly.
XIII.
IT was the afternoon of the same day.
“I shall go, grandpa,” said Cicely; “I shall go to-night. There’s a boat, somebody said.”