Argosy All-Story Weekly — "The Purple Limited" — page 128: what you’re looking at

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

694 while I sat studying Ventnor, they put to- gether a meal from the stores, brewed tea over the spirit-lamp with water from the bubbling spring; and in these common- places I knew that she at least was finding relief from that strain of the abnormal under which we had labored so long. To my surprise I found that I was hungry, Drake was plainly so, and with deep relief I watched Ruth partake of food and drink even though lightly. — About her seemed to hover something of the ethereal, elusive, and disquieting. Was it the strangely pellucid light that gave the effect, I wondered; and knew it was not, for as I scanned her covertly, I saw fal! upon her face that shadow of inhuman tranquility, of unearthly withdrawal which, I guessed, had more than anything else maddened Ventnor into his attack upon the disk. ' . Plainly I saw her fight against it, drive it back. White lipped, she raised her head and met my gaze. And in her eyes I read both terror and—shame. Clearly it came to me that painful as it might be for her the time for questioning had come. | ‘“‘ Ruth,” I said, “ I know it’s not neces- sary to remind you that we’re in a tight place. Every fact and every scrap of knowledge that we can lay hold of is of the utmost importance in enabling us to deter- mine our course. “I’m going to repeat your brother’s question—what did Norhala do to you? And what happened when you were float- ing before the disk?” The blaze of interest in Drake’s eyes at these questions changed to amazement at her_stricken recoil from them. “There was nothing,” she whispered— then defiantly—‘ nothing. I don’t know what you mean!”’ “Ruth!” I spoke sharply now, in my own perplexity. “You do know. You must tell us—if not for our sake, then for his.’ And I pointed toward Ventnor. She drew a long breath. | » ‘ You’re right—of course,’ she said un- steadily. could fight it out myself. But you must know—there’s a—a taint upon me!” ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. with it. “Only I—I thought maybe T. “A taint!” I cried, and caught in Drake’s swift glance the echo of my own thrill of apprehension for her. sanity. “Yes,” she said, now quietly. ‘‘ Some new and alien thing within my- heart, my brain, my soul; that came to me from Nor- hala when together we rode the flying block, and that—he—sealed upon me when I was in—his ”—again she crimsoned, and whispered—“‘ embrace.” And as we gazed at her, incredulously: ‘A thing that urges me to forget you two—and Martin—and all the world I’ve known; that tries to pull me from you— from all—to drift untroubled in some vast calm filled with an ordered ecstasy of peace. And whose calling I want, God help me, oh, so desperately to heed! “Tt whispered to me first,” she went on breathlessly, ‘‘ from Norhala—when she put her arm around me. It whispered and then seemed to float from her and cover me. like—like a substance, and from head to foot. It was a quietness and peace that held within it a happiness at one and the same time utterly tranquil and utterly wild. “IT seemed to be at the threshold of un- known ecstasies—and the life I had known only a dream—and you, all of you—even Martin, dreams within a dream. You weren’t—real—and you did not—matter!” “‘ Hypnotism,’’ muttered Drake, as she paused. ‘“No.” She had heard him; Be shook her head. ‘“ No—more than ‘that. The wonder of it grew—and grew. I thrilled I remember nothing of that ride, saw nothing—save that once when through the peace enfolding me pierced warning that Mdrtin was in peril, and I broke through upon its path to see him clutching Norhala and to see floating up in her eyes death for him! ‘“‘ And I saved him—and again forgot. Then, when I saw that beautiful, flaming Shape—I felt no terror, no fear—only a tremendous — joyous — anticipation, as though—as though—”’ She faltered, hung her head, then leaving that sentence unfin- ished, whispered: ‘‘ And when—it—lifted me it was as though I had come at last out of some endless black ocean of despair into the full sun of paradise!” (CCO)INN 6)(0)©) @ (C(O) nn S