"No."
"Then——"
"It's a more hopeless barrier than that!" she interrupted with a sudden catch in her breath. "I can't let you make love to me. I can't let you love me! I c-can't love you—let myself—do it——"
Her voice was drowned in a terrific roar. All the thunders of the skies seemed to unite in one tremendous outburst.
Deafened, almost stunned, we sat there partly stupefied by the mighty concussion which lengthened into bellowing thunder until the bank of the stream trembled under our feet, and the umbrella wiggled in my hand.
"Good Lord!" I whispered; but Thusis sprang up with a little cry of dismay.
"Don't be afraid, darling!" I cried, preparing to gather her to my breast. But she was excitedly adjusting her field-glasses and focussing them on the Bec de l'Empereur.
And then I perceived that the rain had ceased; that the sun was already blazing through the pass below.
"The devil!" cried Thusis, stamping her pretty foot. Then, in a fury of despair, she turned to me and stretched out one arm, pointing toward the valley pass.
And I saw that it had been utterly obliterated by the mighty avalanche, the earth-shaking thunder of which had petrified us.