It seemed incredible to hear Desire's laugh.
"Good gracious!" she said. "You're carrying him upside down."
She had had no hint of danger. But with Li Ho it was different. He
fell back beside me when Desire had relieved me of the child. I
could feel his inscrutable eyes upon my face.
"You see um," said Li Ho. It was an assertion, not a question.
I nodded.
"No be scare," muttered he. "Missy all safe. Everything all safe
now. Li Ho go catch um. Li Ho catch um good. All light--tomolla."
"You mean you can manage him and he'll be all right tomorrow?" I
said. "But--what is it!"
The Celestial shrugged.
"Muchy devil maybe. Muchy moon-devil, plaps. Velly bad."
"There's a knife in that umbrella, Li Ho."
But though his eyes looked blandly into mine, I couldn't tell
whether this was news to Li Ho or not....
Well, that's the story. I've written it down while it's fresh,
sparing comment. Desire sang as we crossed the Inlet; little, low
snatches of song with a hint of freedom in them. She had made her
choice and it is never her way to look back. The old "Tillicum"
rattled and chugged and the damp crept in around our feet. But the
water was a path of gold and the sky a bowl of silver--and as an
example of present day elopements it had certainly been fairly
exciting.
Yours, Benis.
CHAPTER XIII
Desire Spence bent earnestly over the writing pad which lay open
upon her knee.
"Mrs. Benis Hamilton Spence," she wrote.
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