Her memory was still very faint; her lost purse did not trouble her;
even Lovedy became but a distant possibility; all was rest and peace,
and that dreadful day when she thought her heavenly Guide had
forsaken her had vanished forever from her gentle heart.
One afternoon, however, when Mme. Malet sat by the open window
quietly knitting a long stocking, a disturbing thought came to
Cecile; not very disturbing, but still enough for her to start and
ask anxiously:
"Why doesn't Joe ever come to see me?"
At these words a shade came over the bright face of the young wife
and mother; she hesitated for a moment, then said, a trifle uneasily:
"I wouldn't trouble about Joe just now, deary."
"Oh! but I must," answered Cecile. "How is it that I never missed
him before? I do love Joe. Oh! don't tell me that anything bad has
happened to my dear, dear Joe."
"I don't know that anything bad has happened to him, dear. I trust
not. I will tell you all I know. The night my mother-in-law and I
found you in that little hut I saw a tall dark boy. He had gone to
fetch the doctor for you, and he stood in the gloom, for we had very
little light just then. All on a sudden he gave a cry, and ran to my
mother-in-law, and threw his arms round her neck, and said strange
words to her. But before she could answer him, or say one single
sentence in reply, he just ran out of the hut and disappeared. Then
we brought you and Maurice and Toby home, and we have not heard one
word of Joe since, dear.
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