But Lawson Dark, with blood trickling from a cut on
hisforehead, had turned dazedly to his wife. A baby with dimples and sweet,
perfumedcreases and blue eyes and golden curls. Those months of suffering had made a
woman of Gay.
This was what you might call a hellish
discovery.
Margaret stood very still for a few moments,
patting Brians head. Themother put her arm about him and kissed him fondly. Hugh was
sitting there, alone, bythe ashes of his desolate fireplace.
He was well insured and had an old house on his
lowerfarm to move into temporarily.
Her wedding-day was finally fixed for the first of
October.
She crossed the kitchen andopened the door into the
hall. He put his arms about her shoulders anddrew her close to him. The sunlight
ofdawn was striking on Treewoofe, although the lower slopes werestill in shadow. A
little ghost of laughter drifted to herfrom the hill road.
Assemblies at the blacksmiths forge knewhim
not.
She went on, past thegraveyard where her father
lay, up the Three Hills road. Red-ribbed fields on the Treewoofe hilltestified to
many a glad days work on Hughs part. The wind was offshoreand the waves were not
high, but they made a strange, sobbing,lonely sound.
He went up to Denzils, one evening, firmly
resolved.
Little bushyspruces crouched under its
windows.
Folks say Im silly but Im not so silly
asthat.
And he was in for marrying awoman like that. After
what seemed an eternity Hugh came towards her.
WhisperingWinds was hers and a little lonely
creature to love and cherish. So Uncle Pippin fell back on theSpanish
blood.
It was one thing to explain to a womanthat you
didnt see your way clear to marrying her after all.
And now, insome mysterious way, the courage had
come.
Gay stood by the gate for a long while, trying to
adjust herself.
Murray Dark looked at his house proudly when he
came home from thefuneral. I didntwant to go to church, Aunt Margaret, because my
clothes were soshabby.
Do you suppose, suggested Sim Dark horribly, that
Mrs Dandy hassmashed the jug? Joscelyn had not even noticed Uncle
Pippin.
Thechild looked as if he didnt get half enough to
eat.
His heart was pounding with a wildexultation in his
breast. Rachel Penhallow was there, as happy as it was possible for her tobe.