"What are you saying, Nell?" he said. "There is nobody here. That is
Kali walking around the tree."
But she, staring at the dark opening, cried with chattering teeth:
"And the Bedouins too! Why did you kill them?"
Stas clasped her with his arms and pressed her to his bosom.
"You know why! Don't look there! Don't think of that! That happened long ago!"
"To-day! to-day!"
"No, Nell, long ago."
In fact it was long ago, but it had returned like a wave beaten back from the shore and again filled with terror the thoughts of the sick child.
All words of reassurance appeared in vain. Nell's eyes widened more and more. Her heart palpitated so violently that it seemed that it would burst at any moment. She began to throw herself about like a fish taken out of the water, and this continued almost until morning. Only towards the morning was her strength exhausted and her head dropped upon the bedding.
"I am weak, weak," she repeated. "Stas, I am flying somewhere down below."