"No; the fellow tried to stab me, but he failed; I was only stunned."
"Then let us go."
"Go where?" he said, in a dazed kind of way.
"I must go to Naomi," I said.
"Yes, yes," he cried eagerly, "how could I forget? Yes, we must go this moment, this very moment. I am quite well and strong. Come at once."
He spoke with a kind of dignity, and I looked at him again to assure myself that he was the madman who had saved me by Trevose Head.
"We ca'ant go to-night, ted'n saafe," said Eli, who continued to fondle my hands and to utter all sorts of endearing terms.
"We must," he cried, "we must. There's not a second to lose. We must go straight to the house where you left her, and find her if she is there; if not we must not rest till she is in a place of safety."
He spoke in a tone of authority, and was so peremptory that I wondered.