Part 9 (2/2)

This bough looks firm enough. It will hold me as well as you; anyhow, I'm going to try.”

”Don't, don't!” screamed Kitty. She was really frightened now, for she saw the danger from the position where she was sitting far more plainly than Nora did. ”Don't do it, Nora,” she shrieked. ”I'd rather come back to you. I would really, really. You'll be killed--we'll both be killed if you get upon this rotten bough. Oh, dear! oh, dear! Nora, are you mad? Are you mad?”

Blind pa.s.sion had made Nora almost mad. She did not believe Kitty's words. The bare bough looked safe enough from her position. She stretched out one cautious hand, then another, and propelled herself slowly along. Her whole weight was now upon the bough. It was thoroughly rotten and very brittle. Kitty gave a shriek of terror, and, with a wild leap, managed to throw her arms over the bough just above. She was not a minute too soon. The rotten branch cracked and broke with a loud report, and poor Nora was hurled with great violence to the ground.

CHAPTER VIII.

ALONE IN THE WOOD.

There was a dizzy moment for Kitty when she seemed to hang between heaven and earth, and everything swam in circles before her dazed eyes.

Then, with a supreme effort, she managed to clutch the bough, to which she clung with a firmer grasp, and slowly but surely to drag herself up into safety on its broad, firm stem.

”I'm coming, Nora. I'll be down in a minute,” she shouted.

She crept along the bough, and soon, much scratched and covered with moss and leaves, her dress torn, her face hotly flushed, she reached the ground and rushed to Nora's side.

Poor Nora had fallen from a height of nearly twenty feet. Her fall had been slightly broken by the rotten bough which had come to the ground with her; but, notwithstanding this fact, she lay now on her back, faint and sick and moaning, as if she were in great pain.

Poor Kitty's repentance was intense.

”Oh, Nora, Nora!” she sobbed, bending over her, ”are you hurt badly?

Can't you get up? Oh, dear! oh, dear! you do look ill, and it's my fault of course. Why did I have a secret? and why did I tease you? Oh, Nora!”

she added, terror in her tone as she noticed the increasing whiteness of Nora's pretty face, ”are you in dreadful, shocking pain?”

”I feel sick,” said Nora, ”and--and faint. Can't you fetch some water.

Oh, everything seems miles away. What shall I do?”

”I'll go for mother,” said Kitty. ”Lie very still, Nonie, darling; you have got an awful shake from that fall, but you'll be all right soon--I'm sure you will; and, oh, here's some water in one of the picnic bottles.”

Kitty sprang towards this welcome sight, wetted a handkerchief with part of the contents and put it on Nora's forehead, and then gave her a little to drink.

The cold refres.h.i.+ng water revived the poor girl; but when she attempted to sit up, she fell back groaning and very faint once more.

”You _must_ let me fetch mother,” said Kitty. ”I won't be a minute. I'll go as if I were a bird. I'll be back in no time, really.”

”No; I can't be left alone,” said Nora. ”It--it's awful. The pain in my back gets worse and worse. Kitty, don't leave me. Kitty, I'm frightened.

I'm sorry I was so cross to you.”

”And I'm sorry I aggravated you,” said Kitty; ”but, oh, dear! what's the use of being sorry? That won't mend your poor back. I wish you'd let me get mother.”

”No, no; you mustn't leave me.”

Nora tried to stretch out one of her hands, but the pain of the least movement was extreme, and she was forced to lie absolutely still, while Kitty wetted her lips at intervals with a few drops of the precious water left in the bottle.

Nora was in too great pain to care anything about the loneliness of their position. She was in too great suffering even to be keenly sorry for her own wrongdoing. The one only desire she had was to keep Kitty by her side. But poor Kitty's little heart was full of absolute terror. She had never seen anyone look so ill as Nora. Her face was white; her lips were blue; she was evidently in severe pain; but, with the pain, there was a strange faintness, which Kitty had never encountered before in the whole course of her ten st.u.r.dy years.

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