say nothing of the sweet corn. And it’s all your fault anyway. I
might never have loved you if you hadn’t put the idea into my
head.”
“There’s the Nongassla coming in around the point with her boats
out,” Sheldon remarked irrelevantly. “And the Commissioner is on
board. He’s going down to San Cristoval to investigate that
missionary killing. We’re in luck, I must say.”
“I don’t see where the luck comes in,” she said dolefully. “We
ought to have this evening all to ourselves just to talk things
over. I’ve a thousand questions to ask you.”
“And it wouldn’t have been a man-talk either,” she added.
“But my plan is better than that.” He debated with himself a
moment. “You see, the Commissioner is the one official in the
islands who can give us a license. And–there’s the luck of it–
Doctor Welshmere is here to perform the ceremony. We’ll get
married this evening.”
Joan recoiled from him in panic, tearing herself from his arms and
going backward several steps. He could see that she was really
frightened.
“I . . . I thought . . .” she stammered.
Then, slowly, the change came over her, and the blood flooded into
her face in the same amazing blush he had seen once before that
day. Her cool, level-looking eyes were no longer level-looking nor
cool, but warmly drooping and just unable to meet his, as she came
toward him and nestled in the circle of his arms, saying softly,
almost in a whisper, –
“I am ready,” Dave.”
Footnotes:
{1} Eaten.
ADVENTURE
151
{2} Food.
{3} Mary–beche-de-mer English for woman.
{4} Ngari-ngari–literally “scratch-scratch”–a vegetable skin-
poisoning that, while not serious, is decidedly uncomfortable.
{5} Paddle