"I am glad you have thought of it--I like sympathy. Yes, I am tired; but
the room is cheery now. Let us breakfast in here?"

"You have found no trace?" Her nervousness showed itself in her tone.

"No."

She went to the door, and gave Rose an order. Then she closed it, and
walked first to one window; then to another.

"Do come and sit down. You wander about like a ghost."

"I will step softly." She began to walk up and down the room with her
light, rather long-paced step. "_You_ are not afraid," she said at last.

"No, I am not afraid; if he were wrecked in mid-ocean, he would make the
whales cook his dinner for him, and see to it, too, that it was a good
one."

"Oh, don't speak in that tone; don't jest about him when we cannot
tell--Here we are safe at home, safe and comfortable, when perhaps he--"
she stopped.

"You are haunted by the most useless terrors. 'Safe,' are we? How 'safe'
were we last night, for his sake too, in that deadly swamp?--how safe
were _you_? And 'comfortable'--I sitting here wet and exhausted, and you
walking up and down, white as a sheet, eating your heart out with
anxiety! 'And home,' did you say? I like that! Pretty place it was to
bring you to--hideous barrack miles from every living thing. Of course
you've made it better, you would make a cave better; he knew you would
do it when he brought you here!"

He changed his bitter tone into a laugh, "Instead of abusing him, I
ought rather to admire him--admire him for his success--he has always
done so entirely as he pleased! If one wishes to be virtuous or heroic,
I don't know that it is the best way; but if one wishes simply to be
comfortable, it most certainly is. You can't philosophize?" he went on,
turning his head to look at her as she continued her walk.

"No, no. Would you mind telling me what you have done?"

"I have three parties out; one has gone up the shore, and one down; the
third is across the river."

"You are very good. For I know you don't believe he is here."

"No, I don't."

"But where, then, can he be?"

"You have asked me that before. This time I will answer that he is
probably where he intended to be when he left here early yesterday
morning--after ridding himself of Eliot and Dodd."

"You think he planned it. But why should he have been so secret about
it? No one could have prevented him from taking a journey if he wished
to take one."

"You would have prevented it; you wouldn't have thought him strong