Part 19 (2/2)
She had declared in so many words that she preferred him to me. She regarded what I had done for her as nothing.
I found then that my pa.s.sion had been inflamed by hope, that my jealousy was due to this reason. No sooner did Ruth speak in the way I have described than a dull despair laid hold of my heart, and I was dumb. I could see now that she loved Wilfred, and that she saw n.o.bility in him, which, in her opinion my nature was too poor to see, that the fact of my having saved her life was to her little more than the action of an animal, who acted instinctively without a thought of danger. Well, on the whole I was glad to know the worst. I knew how to act now, I was not upheld by any false hope.
”I am glad you have told me this, Ruth,” I said quietly. ”It is best that I should know. I am afraid I have behaved very rudely! forgive me and you shall have no reason to complain again.”
She clutched my arm tightly, and seemed about to protest, but I did not allow her to speak.
”It was mean and unmanly of me to say what I have,” I said, ”but I was excited and almost beside myself; let us walk more rapidly towards home.”
At this Ruth looked at my face as if in surprise, and began to speak.
”I hope I have not hurt your feelings, Roger, but I--that is----”
”Pray, don't distress yourself, Ruth,” I said. ”It is well you have spoken and let me see the truth. Perchance I shall be thankful some day that you have spoken. Look, what's that?”
I pointed towards the ”Devil's Tooth,” which we could still see rising clearly against the sky. On its very summit was a small flickering light, and in my fancy I saw a dark form moving among its rugged peaks.
”It's a light,” said Ruth, as if glad to change the subject; ”what can it mean?”
”It means death,” I said.
”Death! I don't understand, Roger.”
”Whenever any one sees a light on the 'Devil's Tooth' it means death to some one belonging to the man or woman who first saw it,” I replied with a shudder.
”But that's only a superst.i.tion,” replied Ruth, ”surely you will pay no attention to such stories.”
I knew it was only a superst.i.tion; but such is the power of education and a.s.sociation that I could do no other than believe the warning to be real. Why should it come just now when I was so little able to bear it? Why should a darker cloud blacken my sky than was already there?
I looked again. The light was gone, but surely I saw even in the pale moonlight a dark moving figure. Try as I would to banish the feeling I could not help fearing that a dread calamity was about to fall on me.
I felt ill able to bear it. I had been stunned by the fact of Ruth's love for Wilfred and her dislike for me. It is true she had not told me in as many words that she disliked me, or that she loved Wilfred better, but I was convinced that she thought him more n.o.ble and true, and that there was no hope of her ever coming to love me.
It was quite dark now, and we were away from the soothing influences of the green honeysuckle lane and the rustling of the ripe corn. We were walking on the top of the cliff and could see the misty outline of the coast. We walked slowly on for some distance, and then we both stopped, trying to see if the dark form were a reality or only a fancy.
Scarcely had we done so when I felt my arm touched.
”What be 'ee lookin' for, Maaster Roger, my dear?” said a half-wheedling, half-mocking voice.
I turned and saw Deborah Teague.
I must confess that seeing her there alone made me feel strangely. She had not spoken to me since the night when we met in the cave of evil repute. Whenever we did chance to meet she looked steadily on the ground, never answering any words I might address to her. I did not wonder at this, for I fancied she had some ill-will towards me for not complying with her wishes, but I did wonder at her coming now and speaking to me in this familiar way. Nevertheless, I answered quietly:
”I thought I saw some one on the 'Devil's Tooth,' but I'm not sure.”
”Ded 'ee zee a light jist now?” she continued.
”Yes, I did,” I replied.
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