Part 21 (1/2)
”Yes, Otter, she is proud”
”And she is beautiful; no woman was ever so beautiful”
”Yes, Otter, she is beautiful”
”And she is cold, Baas; she does not say 'thank you' nicely for all that you have done”
”Perhaps she thinks it the more, Otter”
”Perhaps she thinks it the ht say 'thank you' to you, Baas, who are her--husband”
”What do you ht her first, according to our custo to your own, and if that does notcan”
”Stop that fool's talk,” said Leonard angrily, ”and never let ame that we played”
”As the Baas desires, so be it I do but speak froht think that not so ill, for she is fair and clever Will the Baas rise and come to the river to bathe, that his soreness estion, and came back from his bath a new ic He was still stiff, indeed, and re for ten days orof the throat where Xavier had gripped hi the booty of the slave ca, flannel shi+rts, corduroy suits, and hats
Casting aside the rags of the Portuguese uniforuised himself, Leonard put on some of these articles and reappeared in the cahly indeed, but beco her toilet, with the help of Soa, who took this opportunity to tell herwith Leonard Outraot to do so, she did not at this tireement which had been entered into between them As yet Soa had never spoken fully to her mistress of her early life or of the h she had taught her the language they spoke Perhaps, for reasons of her own, she did not think this a favourable occasion on which to begin the story
When Soa had finished Juanna fell into a reverie She reratitude to Mr Outrarateful enough But for hiht and love would have closed its gates upon her for ever Still, ratitude and earnest adht for her sake, was another feeling, a feeling of resenter, this dark, keen-eyed, resolute h a fore with her that was not all a form, for it had been soleer was the ht of it angered her and offended her pride
Like other woe without dreae to say, her fancy had always chosen some such man as Leonard for the hero of the story But that the hero should present himself in this ultra-heroic fashi+on, that he should buy her with gold, that he should go through a for--for these things she had not bargained It was a fact--that ht be null and void, and the fereat respect for accohty nature this was very galling Already she felt it to be so, and as time went on the chain of its remembrance irked her more and more, a circumstance which accounts for hts as these, Juanna strolled back towards the ca a little pathway in the reeds, and suddenly came face to face with Leonard She was clad in a white Arab robe, part of the loot, which she had adapted cleverly to the purposes of a dress, fastening it round her slender waist with an embroidered scarf She wore no hat, and her rich dark hair isted into a great knot that shone in the sunlight In her hand she held soathered, that made a spot of colour on the whiteness of her dress The look of haunting terror was gone fro her sleep; her changing eyes shone beneath their dark lashes, and she race of a fawn
Seen thus in that pure and pearly light against the green background of the feathered reeds, nothing could have seeirl, this child of the forest and the river, who led in herself the different beauty of the Saxon and the Spaniard, ripened by the African sun and dignified by the long corace about her movements, a purity in her face, alips, such as Leonard had never seen before, and which overcame him utterly Alas for the fickleness of the human heart! from that moment the adoration of his youth, the drearow faint and fade away But though this was so, as yet he did not admit it to himself; indeed, he scarcely knew it
Juanna looked up and saw hi before her, proud and handsohtful face, deep-chested, bearded, vigorous, a stthat, do what she would to prevent it, it was reflected in her own She reer had done for her, how he had risked his life a hundred times, how she would now have been dead and unlovely were it not for his intrepid deeds, and reratitude that moved her thus? She did not know; but whatever it was, she turned her head that he ht not read it on her face Anotherpleasantly
”Good ,” she said, ”I hope that you have slept well, and that you have no bad news”
”I spent eight hours in a state of absolute stupor,” he answered laughing, ”and there is no news at all to speak of, except that I have got rid of those slaves, poor creatures I fancy that our friends, the slave-dealers yonder, have had enough of our company, and are scarcely likely to follow us”
Juanna turned a shade paler, and answered:
”I trust so At least I have had enough of thereat deal;” here her eyes caught the gleaer of her left hand--”this ring belongs to you, I will return it at once”
”Miss Rodd,” said Leonard gravely, ”we have passed through a very strange adventure together; will you not keep the ring in re iht of that hateful scene and still e would be alith her And yet, as the words of pro, an instinct, almost a superstition caused them to remain unspoken ”You are very kind,” she said, ”but this is your signet-ring--is not that what you call it? You cannot wish to give it to a chance acquaintance”
”Yes, it is , and if you will look at the crest and motto you will see that they are not inappropriate And I do wish to give it even 'to a chance acquaintance,' Miss Rodd, if you will allow me no more intimate term”