I mean to save the life of my best friend. That is no bear, it is my dog Rolla, and the party on the float are my friends.
By this time Rolla had reached the shore and embraced Amy with a kind of fatherly affection. The parties watched the float, and saw the people on it get in the boat and row toward the ship.
It will be remembered that the appearance of Amy and Cora was so much alike that it was difficult to distinguish between them. But now they were dressed exactly alike, and a casual observer could not tell one from the other. This will account for the mistakes and confusion about to be related.
When they saw the boat coming toward the island, the old man suggested that they had better walk to the lower end of the island, as the boat could safely land at that point.
At the time of the landing, Amy was standing on the east side of the island with Rolla by her side. Walter being ignorant of the real facts, took her for Cora. Acting under the impulse of the moment, he sprang out of the boat, and swiftly ran to her, and folding her in his arms, said:
Cora! Oh, Cora—you are safe—you are safe! I feared that we should not see you again! and he passionately kissed her.
But the girl did not reciprocate, but tried to free herself from his embrace.
You are mistaken, young man. My name is not Cora.
Walter stared into her eyes for a moment.
You say that your name is not Cora? You have lost yourself. Your reason is dethroned. You don’t know your nephew. If you are not Cora, who are you? releasing her.