Leonie of the Jungle

by Joan Conquest

  CHAPTER XXI

  "And wilt thou leave me thus That hath given thee my heart?--Say nay! Say nay!"--Sir T. Wyatt.

  What in heaven's name was he to do now?

  Touch her he would not; let her know that he had seen her in all herunhidden beauty he could not; yet the gurgling and rustling andwhispering between the water and the stones told him that the tide wasracing in, and that what he intended to do he must do right quickly.

  All he wanted to do was to gather her up in his strong arms, andwakening her with kisses carry her to safety.

  Safety from the sea, safety from the unknown spell which had been laidupon her, safety from the horrible future; a safety he felt which couldonly be found within the circumference of his arms folded about her inlove.

  But instead he looked round for the garments she must have leftsomewhere, and seeing them, stepped quietly across the widening poolsand gathered up the soft, sweet-smelling heap of dainty raiment;clenching his hands tight upon them to prevent himself from burying hisface in the perfumed delicate things which he had not the right even totouch.

  A little knot of pale pink bebe ribbon came away in his hand, and hetwisted it around the seaweed ring she had twined about his finger,then untwisted them both and slipped them into his pocket, and stoopedto pick up something which had slipped from the garments and tinkled onthe rocks.

  "Oh, you beauty!" he said as he held the jewel out in his open hand,and "Oh, you brute!" he said again is the cat's-eye winked cunningly athim with the knowledge of all ages in its lustrous depths.

  Then he went back, crushing his flimsy burden to his heart; and placingit upon a rock near the sleeping girl, strode off to the opening of thelittle connecting cove, where he stood in the shadows and called;

  "Leonie! Are you there, Leonie?"

  Leonie stirred, settled down again to sleep, and stirred each time thevoice rang insistently.

  Who knows if love would have brought her back to consciousness and theimmediate necessity to rise and clothe herself, and flee for safety?

  Anyway, the tide decided and sent a little wave that thoroughlydrenched her and brought her to her knees shivering and bewildered.

  "Tide in!"

  She glanced round hurriedly and drew her hand across her eyes.

  "Funny!" she said as she retreated before a wave which surged over therocks and swirled up behind her. "But--why--I've nothing on! And myarm!--why, I'm simply cut to bits. And--and oh! I've beendreaming--and how dark it is; there must be a storm coming!"

  As she spoke she hurriedly flung herself into her clothes, biting herlips as the lace and ribbons caught in the horrible gash in her arm,and was standing waiting for the water to recede before she jumped,just as a voice as from heaven itself called.

  "Leonie! where are you? Leonie, the tide is coming in!"

  She did not wait, she jumped clear, stumbling and falling on the otherside, ripping her feet until they bled.

  Then she got up and ran blindly, impelled by terror pursued by the fearof something far more terrible than death.

  "Jan! Jan! help me!"

  Without a word he caught her and lifted her, holding her closely.

  Never a word he said as they raced through from one cove to the other,neither when the waters buffeted him nor when weeds twined about hisfeet, and rocks impeded him.

  Swiftly he carried her up the slight incline and laid her on the grass,took off his coat, ripped out his shirt sleeve, and tearing it intostrips, bound up the bleeding arm.

  Then sitting down beside her he leant over sideways and picked her upbodily, clear from the ground into his arms; no mean feat with a toiletjug full of water, let alone with a hefty maiden weighted with grief.

  He held her in that heavenly, comforting clasp known and practised bystout old nurses and some mothers, within which you feel that you candefy anything, even to the onslaughts of peevish Fortune.

  His left arm was under and round her shoulders, his left hand gentlypressed her head against his breast, his right arm was round her justabove the knees, and he rocked her gently.

  Oh! the heavenly, comforting bliss!

  History was repeating itself, for Leonie, with great dry sobs shakingher from head to feet, was snuffling into Jan Cuxson's collar as shehad snuffled into his father's years ago.

  "Beloved!"

  Sobs.

  "Beloved! there is nothing to cry about--_nothing_! As I am holdingyou now, so shall I always hold you, and no harm can come to you fromocean, tempest or life. _Nothing_ can hurt you because I love you!"

  Sobs.

  "_Leonie_!"

  She lay absolutely still, unconsciously counting the beats of his heartwhich was thudding heavily against her right shoulder, and waiting forthe moment when she would find the strength at last to turn down her"empty glass."

  "Leonie! you've got to listen to me now, and I am not going to ask youto decide because Fate has decided for you. And oh! beloved, beloved,thank heaven that there is still time, that you are still free, thatheaven instead of hell is waiting for you. Yes! dear heart. Fate hasdecided!"

  He stroked her hair as he looked down into the little face crushedagainst his shoulder, and shifted her a wee bit that she might restmore comfortably. Leonie closed her eyes and trembled from head tofoot as Fate pinched the decision between claw-like thumb and finger sothat it was stillborn.

  "Dear," continued Jan Cuxson as he gently patted her shoulder with hisleft hand, "dear, oh! my dear, just as I hold you now, so I shallalways hold you. I am going to keep you, marry you, and take you rightaway to India next week; I'll telegraph that my things are not to beput on board to-morrow. You must have a nervous breakdown to-day,_you_ darling, just to think of _that_," and his laugh rang out againstthe sullen stillness of the dawn, "then we will slip away, and getmarried, and--oh! Leonie, I _love_ you."

  Leonie said no word, but from her head to her feet swept a thrill whichthe man felt from his feet to his head.

  He laughed again, laughed as a god might laugh with the world in hishand, and crushed her fiercely to him.

  "Beloved! I love you! love you! love you! And you? Tell me you loveme! Why, you dare not look me in the face and say no! You love me,dear! You are part of me; you are bone of my bone, flesh of my flesh!Sorrow shall not touch you when you are all mine, your joys shall be myjoys! And--beloved, my children shall be your children!"

  With a sudden movement Leonie wrenched herself from his arms and on toher feet, whilst a driving cloud surrounded them, and a growl ofthunder came over from Lundy Island way.

  "Love you!" cried the girl. "Yes! I love you, if that is the rightword to describe what it is I have in my heart for you. No! don'ttouch me! Listen, I would live for you, _die_ for you in love. Painthrough you would be joy, joy through you would be heaven."

  She clasped her hands to her breast, then threw them out towards him,palm uppermost, in a wonderful gesture of passionate surrender, but herface was terrible to see, with eyes like burned out fires, and greatsmears of blood across her mouth and cheek.

  "All that I have for you and more--oh! much more--but--I--I cannotmarry you!"

  The glass went down with a little clatter upon the coldest of life'scold marble slabs as Jan Cuxson, grasping the girl's arms, pulled herroughly towards him.

  That he had caught the arm right on the lacerated wound he had no ideaas he stood looking down into the eyes which were on a level with thetop button, of his coat.

  "Beloved! beloved! You are tired, distraught! You don't know what youare saying! You are to go straight home and sleep, for _hours_, thencome out refreshed and gloriously happy to meet me where and when youlike! And we will fix everything down to the very smallest detail, oh!dear heart, think of it! and this day week we will sail for India!"