It was Hildreth, at my tent door....
"Get up, you lazy boy ... surely you haven't been sleeping all this
time?"
"No, darling."
"I ate my breakfast all alone," she remarked, in an aggrieved tone,
"where's Darrie and Mubby and Ruth?"
"God knows! I don't--and I don't care!"
"You needn't be peevish!"
"Peevish?--as long as you are with me I don't care if all the rest of
humanity are dead."
I stepped out beside her. We stood locked in a long embrace.
She drew back, with belated thoughtfulness....
"We ought to be more careful ... so near the house."
"I'm so glad you're in the little house near my tent, Hildreth."
"But we can't be together there much ... it's too near the big house."
"What shall we do, then?"
"There's the fields and the woods ... miles of them ... the whole
outside world for us."
"I don't see why _we_ shouldn't go strolling together ... the rest are
all abroad somewhere, too ... but we must be careful, Johnnie, very
careful."
"Careful--why?"
"Because of Mubby."
"But he doesn't love you any more?"
"I'm not so sure about that ... I'm not so sure about anything."
* * * * *
I never saw the world so beautiful as on that day. I was translated to
the veritable garden of Eden. The community had been named rightly. I
was Adam and Hildreth was my Eve.
And so it went on for two blissful weeks.
Pages:
552
553
554
555
556
557
558
559
560
561
562
563
564
565
566
567
568
569
570
571
572
573
574
575
576