“Yes,” he ejaculated with white lips, and leaning one hand against the wall to steady himself, “I can. Go.”
“Good-bye, then,” she said softly. “I am too proud a woman to force a man to keep his promise. Good-bye,” and she sauntered slowly away.
But that glance over her shoulder! The Indian choked back a barbaric explosion of laughter as he saw it and watched Armour hurrying after her so quickly, that he caught his foot in the silken train of her gown, with a cry of irrepressible love and despair, “I cannot let you go.”
Then there was a long silence. “All right now,” muttered Joe gleefully. “He much huggum and kissum. He no go crazy like ole man. He marryum in church with flowers and girls to wearum white,” and quietly obliterating himself among the shadows of the house, he went in peace and contentment to his camp.
CHAPTER XLI
IN DEEP DESPAIR
Judy was curled up like a dog on the library door mat. “I will not get up—I will not get up,” she cried, groveling at Vivienne’s feet, as she came out, “till you tell me that you are not going to leave us.”
“I am,” said Vivienne; “but you are to go with me.”
“With you, my precious?” cried the girl springing to her feet. “Where are you going?”
“To England.”
“When?” almost screamed the excited girl.