“Dear Maurice, he never forgets me!—and Crispin?”
“Has safely left the island with Gurt, so, you see, help will soon arrive. You must be brave, Helena; things are not so bad as you think.”
“I am glad to hear you say so, father.”
“I do say so. You have not spoken of this volcano business to any one—and you, Zoe?”
“No, no!” cried both the girls in chorus; “not a word.”
“That is right; I do not wish any one to be frightened unnecessarily, and you will think of neither war nor volcanoes in a few days. But come, Helena, give me something to eat.”
“Will you stay here, father?” asked the girl, as she led the way into the Acropolis.
“No, I am a soldier, and must live as the other soldiers. Let me have a meal here, and then you can go to bed, while I return to the front.”
“Can I come down to-morrow?”
“No, you have acted the heroine quite enough. There will be some tough work to-morrow, and I don’t want to risk losing you, my treasure.”