Her hand tightened on his.
“Why should you care for the future? Ees not zee present—beautiful?” 288
“Aye—if it could be always the present,” he muttered.
“But zee future can be verra beautiful if one wishes so. Eet ees for you and for me to make zat future jus lak heaven!”
Jim pulled himself up with a jerk. It was not the words that affected him so much as the blaze of quick passion in her eyes.
“There’s only one heaven for me, and I guess I’ve fallen out of it,” he said. “Let us go in.”
“No, no! The night is so wonderful—all, all is wonderful. Everywhere zere ees love—in zee trees, in zee wind. Do you not feel him?”
If Jim felt anything at all it was blue fear. He came to see the position as it was. She believed him a free man—even believed he might love her. The seemingly trivial actions of the afternoon became newly interpreted. Before he could get his breath Natalie rose to the occasion.
“You vill come back to-morrow after zee boat has gone? It has been so beautiful, zese two days. Say you vill come back!”
“Natalie!” he gasped.