He was prettyhaywire, but I thought he was on the
track of something wonderful. The children are bags of bonesand crawl about like a
lot of little starved owls. Johnny nursed me back to bodily health, and partly
tosanity, for he is the sanest thing ever made. Leithen satat the hut door, facing
the big fire on the platform which Galliardhad been stoking. He saw his father and
brotherbowed down with toil, for no purpose except to win a bare living. You know I
acted mighty bad to him, but then I was outof my senses, and he wasnt too firm in
his.
I gotinto touch with my peoples life, and I think I
have done penance.
Well then, it was up tothem to make an extra good
show with the fall huntin. Then Lew started in about his Sick Heart River. Galliards
face passed from an amused inquisitiveness to an extremegravity. He had had anhour
of revulsion at Sick Heart River, but it had passed like abrief
nightmare.
His friendlygusto kept up everyones spirits, and
Leithen was never aware ofthe scarcity of rations. Likebrave men they had gone out
to wrestle with it, and had notreturned.
Everything that day had gone exactly right. It was
a tale which took long in the telling, and it filled severalof the short winter
twilights.
He must makemoney, and money could only be made in
big business. I have crossed half the world tohear about your affairs. Father
Duplessis has the same story, Leithen said. Lew had shed the sobriety for which
hehad been conspicuous in recent weeks. He had been facing death, waiting stoically
onits coming.
If a chief dies they mourn forhim, sittin on their
rumps, till theyre pretty well deadthemselves.
Then why did she want you to go to look for
me?
He was not very clear about its beginnings. Im
afraid, black afraid ofthis damned country. I had betrayedsomething ancient and
noble, and had to do penance for my sins.
To Leithens surprise he spoke of Felicity without
emotion. A little whileago such memories, if he could have revived them, would have
been atorment.
He saw his father and brotherbowed down with toil,
for no purpose except to win a bare living.
It was a profanationto think of the two together.
He found things inwhich he had had an acute interest suddenly go stale for him. They
tell me you are recovering health, my friend, and for yoursake I
rejoice.
I have crossed half the world tohear about your
affairs. Idlike to tell you just how I was feeling a year ago. One evening, when he
saw whatappeared to be three Frizels in the hut, he thought his
mindwandering.
He had been facing death, waiting stoically onits
coming.
Thenight sweats had ceased, and the nausea, and he
could eat his mealswith a certain relish. Also for my own, for I am enabled to make
you anappeal.
In the afternoons, whenhe was not asleep, he was
back at Oxford.
She is a brave woman, but I need not tell you that.