When, however, he heard of the high manner in which Ram Singh had spoken
of him, and the distinguished position which he had assigned him among
philologists, he became so excited that it was all we could do to
prevent him from setting off then and there to make his acquaintance.
Esther and I were relieved and glad when we at last succeeded in
abstracting his boots and manoeuvring him to his bedroom, for the
exciting events of the last twenty-four hours had been too much for his
weak frame and delicate nerves.
I was silting at the open porch in the gloaming, turning over in my mind
the unexpected events which had occurred so rapidly--the gale, the
wreck, the rescue, and the strange character of the castaways--when my
sister came quietly over to me and put her hand in mine.
"Don't you think, Jack." she said, in her low, sweet voice, "that we are
forgetting our friends over at Cloomber? Hasn't all this excitement
driven their fears and their danger out of our heads?"
"Out of our heads, but never out of our hearts," said I, laughing.
"However, you are right, little one, for our attention has certainly
been distracted from them. I shall walk up in the morning and see if I
can see anything of them. By the way, to-morrow is the fateful 5th of
October--one more day, and all will be well with us."
"Or ill," said my sister gloomily.
"Why, what a little croaker you are, to be sure!" I cried. "What in the
world is coming over you?"
"I feel nervous and low-spirited," she answered, drawing closer to my
side and shivering.
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