Part 19 (1/2)
The sight was painful to Cecil, and he too went ahile the gaht Drawn by an influence that he could not resist, he took the trail that led down the bank of the river to the retreat of Wallulah
CHAPTER V
A DEAD QUEEN'S JEWELS
For round about the walls yclothed were With goodly arras of great olde and silke so close and nere That the rich metall lurked privily
_The Faerie Queene_
He found the sentinels by the pathway half reluctant to let him pass, but they did not forbid him Evidently it was only their awe of him as the ”Great White Prophet,” to whonity of an Indian sache wrong that he went on ”If Multnoht, ”ould he do?” And brave as Cecil was, he shuddered, thinking how deadly the wrath of the war-chief would be, if he knew of these secret visits to his daughter
”It is an abuse of hospitality; it is clandestine, wrong,” he thought bitterly ”And yet she is lonely, she needs ain”
Where he had raceful figure, standing in the shadow of the wood She heard his footsteps before he saw her, and the ured with joy She stood hesitating a erly forward to !” she cried rapturously ”I felt your approach long before I heard your footsteps”
”How is that?” said Cecil, holding her hands and looking down into her radiant eyes So of the wild Indian mysticism flashed in them as she replied:
”I cannot tell; I knew it!before my ears could catch the sound But oh!” she cried in sudden transition, her face darkening, her eyes growing large and pathetic, ”why did you not coed for you and you did not coht that perhaps the Indians had killed you; I thought it ain; and all the world grew dark as night, I felt so terribly alone Proain!”
”Never!” exclaimed Cecil, on the iiven the world to have recalled the word
”I aht; and he could not pain her by an explanation
”After a while I will tell her how iht ”I cannot tell her now” And he seized upon every word and look of the lovely unconscious girl, with a hunger of heart born of eight years' starvation
”Now you uest, and I shall entertain you I want you to look atif they would e, and if so, what he would say He felt that he was doing wrong, yet so sas it to be in her presence, soof his nature, that it was not possible for hiht the, ainst a frame-work of poles, and roofed with cedar boards,--in its external appearance like all Willairls, neatly dressed and of ence, were busied in various employments about the yard They looked in surprise at the whiteThe two entered the lodge Cecil muttered an exclamation of amazelow of color, a bower of richness Silken tapestries draped and concealed the bark walls; the floor of trodden earth was covered with a superbly figured carpet It was like the hall of some Asiatic palace Cecil looked at Wallulah, and her eyes sparkled with merriment at his bewildered expression ”I knew you would be astonished,” she cried ”Is not this as fair as anything in your own land? No, wait till I show you another room!”
She led the way to an inner apart over the doorway, and bade him enter
Never, not even at St Janificence The rich h walls; the carpet was like a cushi+on; ure; luxurious divans invited to repose
Everywhere his eye raceful draperies and artistically blended colors Silk and gold combined to make up a scene that was like a dream of fable Cecil's dazzled eyes wandered over all this splendor, then ca like this in 's palace How ca the Indians?”
”They were saved from the vessel that recked They were e It is mine now I have never entered any other I have never been inside an Indian arow like the savage occupants”
Cecil kne she had preserved her grace and refineain her face changed and the wistful look cae everyi a fold of tapestry against her cheek ”They see them and feel their influence These were my mother's, and it seems as if part of her life was in them Sometimes, after she died, I used to shut s and try to think it was the touch of her hand; or I would read from her favorite poets and try to think that I heard her repeating theain!”
”Read!” exclaimed Cecil; ”then you have books?”
”Oh, yes, I will show you all my treasures”