Laura felt as if her arm were being pulled out of its socket; but she obeyed, and in another moment she was in safety.
Then came a flood of hysterical tears.
‘Oh, how cruel you are! Why did you ever bring me to this horrible place? Where are the others? What will become of us? Don’t leave me; take me back! Oh, take me back!’ And she clung to her companion as if she were still in danger of her life.
Alec soothed and encouraged her as well as he was able; and by hurrying forward they managed in half an hour to overtake the rest of the party.
‘What in the world have you been about?’ cried Semple. ‘We began to think you had lost your way in the mist, or had tumbled over a precipice.’
‘So we did, very nearly,’ said Laura; and Margaret, seeing that the girl was pale and trembling, went up to her, threw her arms round her, and promised not to leave her till they were safe at Glendhu.
‘You needn’t have taken her into danger,’ growled Semple.
‘I did nothing of the kind,’ said Alec angrily. Then he bit his lip, and vouchsafed no further explanation.
Without further accident they reached the foot of the mountain, and half an hour later landed at Glendhu.
Laura had not quite recovered from her fright on the following morning, when an extremely welcome piece of news restored her to her usual spirits. Mr. Lindsay had suddenly determined to transfer himself and his family to Paris; and Laura was overjoyed. When Alec called, therefore, in the afternoon, to ask how she was, he found her in the garden, dreaming of the coming pleasure, and in high good-humour.