"
"You do not see latent beauty, proud courage, and a possible great gulf
of love in that poor wild little face?"
"Nothing of the kind," replied Christine decidedly. "I see an ugly
little girl: that is all."
The next day the boat returned, and brought back five persons--the old
grandfather, Felipa, Drollo, Miguel of the island and--Edward Bowne.
"Already?" I said.
"Tired of the Madre, Kitty: thought I would come up here and see you for
a while. I knew you must be pining for me."
"Certainly," I replied: "do you not see how I have wasted away?"
He drew my arm through his and raced me down the plank-walk toward the
shore, where I arrived laughing and out of breath.
"Where is Christine?" he asked.
I came back into the traces at once: "Over there in the hammock. You
wish to go to the house first, I suppose?"
"Of course not."
"But she did not come to meet you, Edward, although she knew you had
landed."
"Of course not, also."
"I do not understand you two."
"And of course not, a third time," said Edward, looking down at me with
a smile. "What do quiet, peaceful little artists know about war?"
"Is it war?"
"Something very like it, Kitty. What is that you are carrying?"
"Oh! my new sketch. What do you think of it?"
"Good, very good. Some little girl about here, I suppose?"
"Why, it is Felipa!"
"And who is Felipa? Seems to me I have seen that old dog, though."
"Of course you have: he was in the boat with you, and so was Felipa, but
she was dressed in boy's clothes, and that gives her a different look.
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