CHAPTER XIII. (Continued.)

Te Aroha News, Volume V, Issue 212, 23 July 1887, Page 6

CHAPTER XIII. (Continued.)

Ruby stood motionless thevo for more than a minute. She was almost fascinated by the hoiror of the place and the possibilities of impending- peril. How liltlo a thing, sho thought, would servo to precipitate her upon those cruel rock*, whose sharp and lagged points she could just discern reaching- up out of the gloomy depths. She tried to imagine w hat the sensation would be to fall from such a height -to feel one's self uoing down, down, down. She wondered how long it would tase to reach the bottom, and if one would be apt to lose consciousness befoie the awful crash could come. A nervous tin ill ran through her like elect licit y, and her little lingers closed almost convulsively around Walter's, as she drew back from the abyss and lifted a white, awed face to his. ''Are jou frightened V" he asked, anxiously, a> ho drew her still farther away. " No, not really frightened ; though I should be if you were not here," she fiiiMmed, naholy, and still clinging to him. a- if in him lay all her strength and protection. "It is vciy awe-inspiring," she added, with a long-diawn breath; "how dreadful it would be to fall into such a place." " Ko one has e\er fallen here." "No, but I have read of those who have fallen into the crevasses of glaciers among the Alps, and I never realised before what such a fall would be." '" You cannot realise it now, I hope," Walter responded, gently, for her colour lrid noi 3'et returned. "1 suppose not," she answered smilinsr, " but I have a moie \ivid idea of it than 1 ever had befoie." " Look up," her companion said, desirous of chafing the unpleasant expression from licr mind. Ruby obeyed. <k How -wonderful !" .she cried ; " I never v. ould ha\e believed it was so high, looking at the aieh from a distance. How very lutl? we should appear to anyone standing there abo\e us !" " V« s, indeed ; \ eritable atoms or pigmies. Bui I ha\e another surprise for you. " Another ! How mnch pleasure you are giving me, Mr Richardson !" Auciin that luminous light, which she had seen once befoie, bpiang into hi.s eyes ; for the \oung man longed to tell her that sho hid contubuted moie of pleasure to his life in that shoit week than he had known dunng all the die uy two yeais since llalph Cm nenter died. }fe looked around foi their companions, but the) hadmo\od away to soma little distance, and weie seated upon a boulder enjo\ ing in a quiet way the grandeur of the sceren all about them. '■ May 1 call you by your fust namejiust for once, MisV lioidon 7"' Waltjr asked, a p?culiar gentleness in his tones. " 1 have a desire to know how it will sound repeated among these grand old rocks." '• Oh ! i- theie fin echo V" exclaimed Huby, in a delighted tone, as h he eompiehunded hi.- meaning-, j •'Yes, tin. re is a \ery fine one; it will reneat it self at \e\>i fifteen times when the conditions are fa\ourable." , " That is charming ! Yes, use my name if you like ;" and the giii bent her pretty he id in a listening attitude to catch the echo, but theie was no lack of colour in her fu.ee now . Waltej tilled his lung 5 and called out the nimuth.it he had learned to love *o well, and this echoe-, catching up the sound, called, "Ruby, Ruby," with a stiange, tonic-, calence, that bi ought a deeper flush to the owner's cheeks; and an unusual ii'ittu to her he:ut ; while it seomod to the AOUiiL, man as if numbeiless elves and spilt*.-, imi.sible inhabitants of the place, vc.e -houting it back and foith with a pc-culiai -igniiicance, as if in mockery of the sof i»-c they had discovered and weie bound to betray. •• i sii t id wondeiful 7 Ruby cried ; " you can hatdly belie\e that people are not conCLai"d all" about you, wilfully mocking you, like a boy of whom 1 used to read in my first reader, when 1 was a little giil. I could almo-t believe in the existence of ghosts if I were alone. Now lam going to call i/ov And opening her red lips she shouted out his name with all the sticngth of her irv.-ical \ oice, and thof-o tones and the accompanying echoes tang in his ears for lr.onths afterward. They tried many word-, after that. Ruby sang sweet bird-like notes ;*nd clapped her hand 1 ?. Walter whistled, and, gathering a handful of stones, they threw them into the chasm and listened to the reverberations which they produced as they went bounding fvoin rock to rock in the depths below. At la->t, wearied with the sport, they rejoined then companions, and Walter pro]>osed they ha-vs their lunch before ascendhvs to the biidge. This they all aei ecd to, for even our young friend- were a cry unpoetically hungry, and eager to inspect the contents of Mrs Rmcgles's well-filled basket. Walter bi ought the cairiage robes and spread them upon tho grass, where they spent a social half-hour refreshing themf,el\os and chatting upon various interesting topics.