“But, until I had seen you I couldn’t go away,” Alison replied. “I did see you; you went to look for me in the storm! You don’t really think the trolley will reach us. Perhaps it’s strange, but I don’t bother.... I get dull, Kit, and I’m horribly cold.”
Kit held her fast and kissed her. His feet and hands were numb, but he thought the warmth of his body would keep her from freezing.
“Brace up, my dear,” he said. “Austin has started and help’s not far off. We are going to beat the storm. Now I know you belong to me, and all that’s mine I keep!”
Alison said nothing, but her arm was round his neck and for a time he indulged a strange lethargic satisfaction. Then he tried to conquer his languidness. If he slept, he could not fight the paralyzing cold. Only a faint glimmer from a crack marked the stove, and the hut was dark. The door shook and he knew the gale yet raged.
At length Alison said: “Perhaps I was asleep, but I heard bells chime!”
Kit heard the blizzard and thought she dreamed. He said nothing, but Alison turned and tried to get up.
“Something does chime—like cow-bells in a bluff.”
“A locomotive bell!” Kit gasped and pulled Alison to her feet. “A train is stopping. Bravo, Bob!”
He let her go, and crept along the wall to the door, for his joints were stiff and his legs would hardly carry him. A loud bell tolled and a light pierced the snow, and Kit shouted. The light touched his face and passed. Then he saw a huge dark mass and steam roared in the gale. Indistinct figures jumped down and a lantern flickered. Somebody ran against Kit and he knew Austin’s voice.
“Hello! We’ve got soup and blankets. Where is Alison?”