Another silence.
Then suddenly he knew that Beatrice was weeping.
And forgetful of all save that, forgetful of his weakness and his wounds, he comforted her--as only a man can comfort the woman he loves, the woman who, in turn, loves him.
CHAPTER XXX
CONSUMMATION
After a while, both calmer grown, they looked again from the high window.
“See!” exclaimed the engineer, and pointed.
There, far away to westward, a few straggling lights--only a very few--slowly and uncertainly were making their way across the broad black breast of the river.
Even as the man and woman watched, one vanished. Then another winked out, and did not reappear. No more than fifteen seemed to reach the Jersey shore, there to creep vaguely, slowly away and vanish in the dense primeval woods.
“Come,” said Stern at last. “We must be going, too. The night's half spent. By morning we must be very far away.”
“What? We've got to leave the city?”