The Island School — page 285: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

continued Jim. 240 “Never!” exclaimed Martin. “And now they are busy with the other—a pair,” “They have also the carriages in separate pieces.” “IT can see them,” strong.” “They will never be able to get. them up here, said Martin. “Oh, yes, they will,” said Morse; “the guns can be dragged up the path, and the carriages carried piece- meal, if we allow them to do it.” “They will not attempt it to-day,” said Jim, “for they are piling up the portions of the carriages over the guns, which are lying side by side. Ah! there is a fellow with a tarpaulin. He is covering the lot up.” “ Suppose they get the guns up here,” said Martin, “how long long will the gates stand against the shot ?” “Until they are struck,” sententiously replied Morse. “ But the guns are notin position yet.” “We have a night to consider what we shall do,” said Jim. | “TI have decided what to do,” returned Morse, ‘and it cannot be done until night.” “What do you propose to do?” “To destroy the path, and make it a chaos of stones and rocks and fallen trees.” His companions stared at him, wonderstruck. “Can it be done ?” asked Jim. ! “Yes,” was the reply ; “I have the plan broadly in said Morse. ‘Heavy and 9? details.” “There goes the bugle for dinner,” said Martin. “Send me something up here,” rejoined Morse. ‘I can then do three things—eat my dinner, watch the enemy, and arrange my plans.” ; Knowing his humour, they left him; Jim, before going, handing him the glass, _ Alone, Morse leant upon the wall, looking inna upon the invaders for a time. They were busy pitching their tents, and doing it easily, like men who have a Jong time before them, and fear no interruption. Lucia di Valo had a. tent of her own apart from the rest, and she sat by the entrance of it smoking a cigarette, and talking toa young fellow who stood before her deferentially, hat in hand. Everything pointed to leisurely movements on the part of the band below. In Lucia di Valo there was avast amount of the cat. As Morse was surveying her camp with curious eyes, she was talking with one Vamos, who acted as her lieutenant. Let us go below and take note of what is passing between them. “Tt 1s my command,” she said, as she jerked off the ash of her cigarette, not flicking it off with her finger | then,” THE ISLAND SCHOOL. aS a man would do, “that there shall be no haste.” : “A good deed,” he answered, “ cannot ah too quickly done.” “You are thinking of your reward,” she said, with a smile. “Who would not think of it?” he asked, passion- ately. ‘Did I not love you ere Reonardo spoke ?” A gesture of assent, coolly given, was the answer. “You laughed at me as a silly boy. I was one said Vamos, “for it was a year ago. Lam a man now.” “So great a change in twelve short months ?” “Tt is the change of a day, if you will. You came back with the tidings of Reonardo’s death, and I ventured to renew the story of my love. What said you ?” 3 “Help me to avenge Reonardo’s death, and I am yours.” “It was that promise,” passionately rejoined Vamos, “that made me a man, and shall I not be impatient to win so great a prize P” “And shall not I enjoy my revenge?” demanded Lucia, proudly. ‘“ Did you ever see a cat play with a mouse ?” He answered with a shrug of the shoulders. ‘Tam the cat for the time,” continued Lucia, “ and yonder is my mouse, or mice, if you will. It is my purpose to keep them in suspense—to kill when I will, and not before.” “They are a right valiant band of youngsters, I am my mind. Give me an hour to work out the | told,” he said. “So be it. mer. With the two guns lent us by the governor we can at our leisure batter the walls of the castle about their ears. There is no hurry. To-morrow we will choose a position for them, fence ourselves about with earthworks, and they will not dare to assail us.” “You have the courage and coolness of ten men,” said Vamos. ‘Of men like you, do you mean £” “I will give my life for you, and fifty men can do no more.” She held out her hand, and he took it, raising it to his lips. ‘Then she motioned for him to leave her. «¢To-night,” she said, “the men may be merry. To-morrow we will begin to work.” Morse saw it all, although naturally he could not hear a word. His ready wit interpreted at least half the meaning of her actions. | ‘¢A Jezebel and a witch,” he murmured, as he closed the field-glass, and leisurely began his dinner. He was not long over it, and the rest of the time he had to himself he devoted to glancing below at the path, and making little outline sketches on a But they are no match for a hundred i Gi @ ) cS mn (Gl 0) nN Cc eYoye)