Tessibel with joy in his heart.
She sprang up impetuously.

"Frederick," she began quickly, "let me tell--"

But he interrupted her.

"You need not tell me that I have to forgive her for such a thing as
this because of ignorance.... It's too horrible!... I shall never get
the sight of that child out of my mind.... That streak of awful, lurid
red ... that yapping mouth ... those clawing hands.... God! the disgust
I felt.... Teola! Teola! You are ill! Rebecca, come here! Come! Come!"

Together they lifted her from the porch where she had fallen, like a man
stabbed with a knife. Gurgling from her lips poured the fresh red blood
from the diseased lungs. Teola tried to speak, tried to tell Frederick
the truth, but the awful tugging in her chest, and her brother's order
that she must not speak, closed her lips upon the good resolution. Added
to his command came one from the doctor, who arrived later, that she
must not speak one word until he came the next day. The hemorrhage had
been brought on by Frederick's description of her child. After her
brother had gone, she thought of the hour when she could tell him, but
with a thankful feeling in her heart that it had been delayed a little
time.

* * * * *

Until the great University bells chimed the hour of midnight, Tessibel
waited in the hut for Frederick.

"She hes forgot to tell him," she muttered wearily, pulling the sleepy
babe into her arms, "and--and he ain't a-comin'."

CHAPTER XXXIV

Tess saw the minister's family arrive in the small lake steamer, and saw
Frederick meet them at the dock. She was watching from between the
tatters of the ragged curtain, and noted that Teola had not come down
the hill with her brother. This disturbed the squatter, for the baby's
mother had looked ill when she left the day before, with the resolution
to tell the student her secret. As Minister Graves passed, she saw
Frederick looking fondly into his father's face, but he sent no friendly
glance toward the hut snuggled under the willow. The watching girl saw
that the student's face was haggard, and a thrill swept over her. It was
because of his love; he wanted to be with her! But he thought she had
been--Tess turned her head from the window, blinded by tears. But for
the child in the box! There swept into her mind a text she had learned.
"If ye have faith as a grain of mustard-seed, ye shall say unto this
mountain, remove hence to yonder plac