Part 27 (1/2)
Mr. Yocomb followed her, and Reuben went down to the barn.
”If you live to grow like your mother, Miss Adah, you will be the most beautiful woman in the world,” I said frankly, for I felt as if I could speak to her almost as I would to Zillah.
Her eyes drooped and her color deepened as she shook her head and murmured:
”I'd rather be Emily Warren than any other woman in the world.”
Her words and manner so puzzled me that I thought she had not fully recovered from the effects of the shock, and I replied, in an off-hand way:
”After a few weeks of teaching stupid children to turn noise into music you would gladly be yourself again.”
She paid no heed to this remark, but, with the same intent, exploring look, asked:
”Thee was the first one I saw when I came to last night?”
”Yes, and you were much afraid of me.”
”I was foolish--I fear mother's right, and I've always been foolish.”
”Your manner last night was most natural. I was a stranger, and a hard-looking customer, too, when I entered your room.”
”I hope I didn't look very--very bad.”
”You looked so like a beautiful piece of marble that I feared you were dead.”
”Thee wouldn't have cared much.”
”Indeed I would. If you knew how anxious I was about Zillah--”
”Ugh!” she interrupted, with an expression of strong disgust, ”I might have been a horrid, blackened thing if it hadn't been for thee.”
”Oh, hus.h.!.+” I cried; ”I merely threw a couple of pails of water on the roof. Please say no more about it.”
She pa.s.sed her hand over her brow, and said hesitatingly:
”I'm so puzzled--I feel so strangely. It seems an age since yesterday.”
”You've had a very severe shock, Miss Adah.”
”Yes, that may be it; but it's so strange that I was afraid of thee.”
”Why, Miss Adah, I was wet as a drowned rat, and had a black mark across my nose. I would have made an ideal burglar.”
”That oughtn't to have made any difference; thee was trying to save my life.”
”But you didn't know it.”
”I don't believe I know anything rightly. I--I feel so strange--just as if I had waked up and hadn't got anything clear. But I know this much, in spite of what Reuben said,” she added impulsively; ”Emily Warren doesn't owe thee any more than I do.” And she turned like a flash and was gone.
”Poor child,” I muttered, ”she hasn't recovered so fully as the others.”