There was such a look of utter bewilderment on his father’s face that Don’s heart ached.
“But don’t try to get the rights of it just now,” went on Don, rising. “There’ll be plenty of time for that. The only thing that counts is that I’ve got you again. Come and look at what Teddy and I found this morning,” he said. “Come along, Teddy,” he added. “And suppose you bring that bag of provisions along with you.”
“Will I?” returned Teddy. “Just watch me! I’ll cling to it like the ivy to the oak.”
As Don, with his heart beating high, walked along beside his father, he was delighted to note the springiness of step and vigor of movement that testified to his parent’s superb physical condition. That, he knew, would be one of the most important factors in restoring him to mental health.
There was the enthusiasm of the skilled Egyptologist in the exclamations with which Mr. Sturdy viewed the wonders that the boys had discovered that morning. His delight was unbounded, and he confirmed without question the boys’ estimate of the wealth of their discovery.
But all the time the battle was going on between the dual personality—the Sturdy of Brazil and the Sturdy of Egypt. It was pitiful, and yet at the same time encouraging, to note the way that trained intelligence of his was trying to reconcile the two and bring order out of chaos.
“Now, Father,” said Don, after a while, “suppose you come to the place where Teddy and I have been roosting while we’ve been here, and lie down and rest. That will give you a chance to think this thing out and get your bearings. Oh, how happy I am to have you with me again!” he added, giving him an affectionate hug.
Mr. Sturdy welcomed the suggestion. What he wanted more than anything else was an uninterrupted opportunity to think. Already he was piecing things together, and under the severe stimulus his mental condition was mending.
All that long afternoon Don’s father lay awake, stretched out on his back, trying to adjust himself to actual conditions. And it was not until the dusk was gathering that Don called him to the simple supper that he and Teddy had quietly prepared.
“I ought to tell you, Father,” said Don, dwelling lovingly on the name that he had so often longed to speak, “that we’ve had an unusual and rather shivery experience each night since we’ve been here,” and he went on to tell of the apparition.