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ue WILD MARGARET.
“hasn’t come back yet!” and she looked beyond Margaret
~ toward the sea. ue
seemed to exercise a fascination over -her; and presently ,
she felt no desire to reach the station, only a great long-
-ing to be alone by the side of the vast ocean, whose
Oh, I hope it will be all right,” Margaret: faltered.
9
_. “Do not be anxious, it will be back before the storm. ””_.
She could not trust herself to say any more, and turn-—
ing. walked quickly away down the path.
' She felt tired, but she reached the bottom by the aid of
a handrail, and went toward the station.. Then suddenly
' she remembered that she had forgotten her purse! | _. . wf
' She had a few pounds in gold and a little silver in her.)
pocket, but the purse, containing the bank-notes given
_ her by the earl, she had left in a drawer at the cottage. —
She stood, aghast_and trembling. To go back she felt. -
was impossible; and yet, what should she do? How could _
she accomplish her flight and hope to hide herself without
money? ooo
After a few minutes the dull roar of the rising tide
solemn, measured beat seemed likean awful voice calling
’ to her.
' . clutched its rugged surface up which a few hours agojshe
' could have sprung easily. j
She reached: the foot of the rock, toward which the
fisherman had pointed when he told her of the accident
_ that had happened to the man and woman two years ago. —
The tide had not touched it yet, and painfully: she
‘At the top she sunk down exhausted, her face toward
_ the sea, her eyes fixed on the bank of cloud, that like the
giant in the Eastern fable, who escaped from the open
bottle, had expanded and grown into a huge mass, which
had ingulfed the sun, and threatened, as it seemed, to
nN
swallow the whole sky. :
_ How long she lay there, hidden from the sight of the vil-_
lage, motionless and almost lifeless, she knew not; but sud-.
denly she heard the lap, lap of water below her, and look:
ing down, saw that the tide had crept round the rock, and-
was gradually but swiftly rising. .
‘She regarded its sullen approach with heavy, listless
eyes. All power of thought, much less appreciation of
-her peril, had deserted her. The sound of the waves,
the dull booming of the wind fell upon her ear almost
‘soothingly. ae ae
_ The day seemed to close and night to fall; the storm:
clouds were right over her, and enveloped the earth as with
; Suddenly the darkness was broken by a vivid flash of a
lightning, and the thunder roared and seemed to shake the
a
te
. el
ere HIE oft
Bona neste agen me