"Ido,Ido!"hecried;"butoh,Ihavenowife!Ihavenowife!"
TantSanniewasmuchaffected,andcameandstoodnearthebed。
"Askhimifhewon’thavealittlepap——nice,fine,flourpap。Thereissomeboilingonthekitchenfire。"
TheGermanmadetheproposal,butthewidowerwavedhishand。
"No,nothingshallpassmylips。Ishouldbesuffocated。No,no!Speaknotoffoodtome!"
"Pap,andalittlebrandyin,"saidTantSanniecoaxingly。
Bonapartecaughttheword。
"Perhaps,perhaps——ifIstruggledwithmyself——forthesakeofmydutiesI
mightimbibeafewdrops,"hesaid,lookingwithquiveringlipupintotheGerman’sface。"Imustdomyduty,mustInot?"
TantSanniegavetheorder,andthegirlwentforthepap。
"Iknowhowitwaswhenmyfirsthusbanddied。Theycoulddonothingwithme,"theBoer—womansaid,"tillIhadeatenasheep’strotter,andhoney,andalittleroaster—cake。Iknow。"
Bonapartesatuponthebedwithhislegsstretchedoutinfrontofhim,andahandoneachknee,blubberingsoftly。
"Oh,shewasawoman!Youareverykindtotryandcomfortme,butshewasmywife。ForawomanthatismywifeIcouldlive;forthewomanthatismywifeIcoulddie!ForawomanthatismywifeIcould——Ah!thatsweetword"wife";whenwillitrestuponmylipsagain?"
Whenhisfeelingshadsubsidedalittleheraisedthecornersofhisturned—downmouth,andspoketotheGermanwithflabbylips。
"Doyouthinksheunderstandsme?Oh,tellhereveryword,thatshemayknowIthankher。"
Atthatinstantthegirlreappearedwithabasinofsteaminggruelandablackbottle。
TantSanniepouredsomeofitscontentsintothebasin,stirreditwell,andcametothebed。
"Oh,Ican’t,Ican’t!Ishalldie!Ishalldie!"saidBonaparte,puttinghishandstohisside。
"Come,justalittle,"saidTantSanniecoaxingly;"justadrop。"
"It’stoothick,it’stoothick。Ishouldchoke。"
TantSannieaddedfromthecontentsofthebottleandheldoutaspoonful;
Bonaparteopenedhismouthlikealittlebirdwaitingforaworm,andhelditopen,asshedippedagainandagainintothepap。
"Ah,thiswilldoyourheartgood,"saidTantSannie,inwhosemindtherelativefunctionsofheartandstomachwereexceedinglyill—defined。
Whenthebasinwasemptiedtheviolenceofhisgriefwasmuchassuaged;helookedatTantSanniewithgentletears。
"Tellhim,"saidtheBoer—woman,"thatIhopehewillsleepwell,andthattheLordwillcomforthim,astheLordonlycan。"
"Blessyou,dearfriend,Godblessyou,"saidBonaparte。
WhenthedoorwassafelyshutontheGerman,theHottentot,andtheDutchwoman,hegotoffthebedandwashedawaythesoaphehadrubbedonhiseyelids。
"Bon,"hesaid,slappinghisleg,"you’rethecutestladIevercameacross。Ifyoudon’tturnouttheoldHymns—and—prayers,andpummeltheRaggedcoat,andgetyourarmsroundthefatone’swaistandawedding—ringonherfinger,thenyouarenotBonaparte。ButyouareBonaparte。Bon,you’reafineboy!"
Makingwhichpleasingreflection,hepulledoffhistrousersandgotintobedcheerfully。
Chapter1。VII。HeSetsHisTrap。
"MayIcomein?IhopeIdonotdisturbyou,mydearfriend,"saidBonaparte,lateoneevening,puttinghisnoseinatthecabindoor,wheretheGermanandhissonsatfinishingtheirsupper。
ItwasnowtwomonthssincehehadbeeninstalledasschoolmasterinTantSannie’shousehold,andhehadgrownmightyandmoremightydaybyday。Hevisitedthecabinnomore,satclosetoTantSanniedrinkingcoffeealltheevening,andwalkedaboutloftilywithhishandsunderthecoat—tailsoftheGerman’sblackclothandfailedtoseeevenaniggerwhowishedhimadeferentialgoodmorning。ItwasthereforewithnosmallsurprisethattheGermanperceivedBonaparte’srednoseatthedoor。
"Walkin,walkin,"hesaidjoyfully。"Boy,boy,seeifthereisanycoffeeleft。Well,none。Makeafire。Wehavedonesupper,but——"
"Mydearfriend,"saidBonaparte,takingoffhishat,"Icamenottosup,notformerecreaturecomforts,butforanhourofbrotherlyintercoursewithakindredspirit。Thepressofbusinessandtheweightofthought,buttheyalone,maysometimespreventmefromsharingthesecretsofmybosomwithhimforwhomIhavesogreatasympathy。YouperhapswonderwhenIshallreturnthetwopounds——"
"Oh,no,no!Makeafire,makeafire,boy。Wewillhaveapotofhotcoffeepresently,"saidtheGerman,rubbinghishandsandlookingabout,notknowinghowbesttoshowhispleasureattheunexpectedvisit。
ForthreeweekstheGerman’sdiffident"Goodevening"hadmetwithastatelybow;thechinofBonaparteliftingitselfhigherdaily;andhisshadowhadnotdarkenedthecabindoorwaysincehecametoborrowthetwopounds。TheGermanwalkedtotheheadofthebedandtookdownabluebagthathungthere。BluebagswereaspecialityoftheGerman’s。Hekeptabovefiftystowedawayindifferentcornersofhisroom——somefilledwithcuriousstones,somewithseedsthathadbeeninhispossessionfifteenyears,somewithrustynails,buckles,andbitsofoldharness——inall,awonderfulassortment,buthighlyprized。
"Wehavesomethingherenotsobad,"saidtheGerman,smilingknowingly,ashedivedhishandintothebagandtookoutahandfulofalmondsandraisins;"Ibuytheseformychickens。Theyincreaseinsize,buttheystillthinktheoldmanmusthavesomethingniceforthem。Andtheoldman——well,abigboymayhaveasweettoothsometimes,mayhenot?Ha,ha!"saidtheGerman,chucklingathisownjoke,asheheapedtheplatewithalmonds。"Hereisastone——twostonestocrackthem——nolatepatentimprovement——well,Adam’snut—cracker;ha,ha!ButIthinkweshalldo。
Wewillnotleavethemuncracked。Wewillconsumeafewwithoutfashionableimprovements。"
HeretheGermansatdownononesideofthetable,Bonaparteontheother;
eachonewithacoupleofflatstonesbeforehim,andtheplatebetweenthem。
"Donotbeafraid,"saidtheGerman,"donotbeafraid。Idonotforgettheboyatthefire;Icrackforhim。Thebagisfull。Why,thisisstrange,"hesaidsuddenly,crackinguponalargenut;"threekernels!I
havenotobservedthatbefore。Thismustberetained。Thisisvaluable。"
Hewrappedthenutgravelyinpaper,andputitcarefullyinhiswaistcoatpocket。"Valuable,veryvaluable!"hesaid,shakinghishead。
"Ah,myfriend,"saidBonaparte,"whatjoyitistobeoncemoreinyoursociety。"
TheGerman’seyesglistened,andBonaparteseizedhishandandsqueezeditwarmly。Theythenproceededtocrackandeat。AfterawhileBonapartesaid,stuffingahandfulofraisinsintohismouth:
"Iwassodeeplygrieved,mydearfriend,thatyouandTantSanniehadsomeslightunpleasantnessthisevening。"
"Oh,no,no,"saidtheGerman;"itisallrightnow。Afewsheepmissing;
butImakeitgoodmyself。Igivemytwelvesheep,andworkintheothereight。"
"Itisratherhardthatyoushouldhavetomakegoodthelostsheep,saidBonaparte;"itisnofaultofyours。"
"Well,"saidtheGerman,"thisisthecase。LasteveningIcountthesheepatthekraal——twentyaremissing。Iasktheherd;hetellsmetheyarewiththeotherflock;hetellsmesodistinctly;howcanIthinkhelies?
ThisafternoonIcounttheotherflock。Thesheeparenotthere。Icomebackhere:theherdisgone;thesheeparegone。ButIcannot——no,Iwillnot——believehestolethem,"saidtheGerman,growingsuddenlyexcited。
"Someoneelse,butnothe。Iknowthatboy。Iknewhimthreeyears。Heisagoodboy。Ihaveseenhimdeeplyaffectedonaccountofhissoul。
Andshewouldsendthepoliceafterhim!IsayIwouldrathermakethelossgoodmyself。Iwillnothaveit;hehasfledinfear。Iknowhisheart。Itwas,"saidtheGerman,withalittlegentlehesitation,"undermywordsthathefirstfelthisneedofaSaviour。"
Bonapartecrackedsomemorealmonds,thensaid,yawning,andmoreasthoughheaskedforthesakeofhavingsomethingtoconverseaboutthanfromanyinteresthefeltinthesubject:
"Andwhathasbecomeoftheherd’swife?"
TheGermanwasalightagaininamoment。
"Yes;hiswife。Shehasachildsixdaysold,andTantSanniewouldturnheroutintothefieldsthisnight。That,"saidtheGermanrising,"thatiswhatIcallcruelty——diabolicalcruelty。Mysoulabhorsthatdeed。ThemanthatcoulddosuchathingIcouldrunhimthroughwithaknife!"saidtheGerman,hisgreyeyesflashing,andhisbushyblackbeardaddingtothemurderousfuryofhisaspect。Thensuddenlysubsiding,hesaid,"Butallisnowwell;TantSanniegivesherwordthatthemaidshallremainforsomedays。IgotoOomMuller’stomorrowtolearnifthesheepmaynotbethere。Iftheyarenot,thenIreturn。Theyaregone,thatisall。I
makeitgood。"
"TantSannieisasingularwoman,"saidBonaparte,takingthetobaccobagtheGermanpassedtohim。
"Singular!Yes,"saidtheGerman;"butherheartisonherrightside。I
havelivedlongyearswithher,andImaysay,Ihaveforheranaffection,whichshereturns。Imaysay,"addedtheGermanwithwarmth,"Imaysay,thatthereisnotonesoulonthisfarmforwhomIhavenotanaffection。"
"Ah,myfriend,"saidBonaparte,"whenthegraceofGodisinourhearts,isitnotwithusall?Dowenotlovetheverywormwetreadupon,andaswetreaduponit?Doweknowdistinctionsofrace,orofsex,orofcolour?No!
"’Lovesoamazing,sodivine,Itfillsmysoul,mylife,myall。’"
Afteratimehesankintoalessferventmood,andremarked:
"ThecolouredfemalewhowaitsuponTantSannieappearstobeofavirtuousdisposition,anindividualwho——"
"Virtuous!"saidtheGerman;"Ihaveconfidenceinher。Thereisthatinherwhichispure,thatwhichisnoble。Therichandhighthatwalkthisearthwithloftyeyelidsmightexchangewithher。"
TheGermanheregotuptobringacoalforBonaparte’spipe,andtheysattogethertalkingforawhile。AtlengthBonaparteknockedtheashesoutofhispipe。
"ItistimethatItookmydeparture,dearfriend,"hesaid;"but,beforeI
doso,shallwenotclosethiseveningofsweetcommunionandbrotherlyintercoursebyafewwordsofprayer?Oh,howgoodandhowpleasantathingitisforbrethrentodwelltogetherinunity!ItislikethedewuponthemountainsofHermon;fortheretheLordbestowedablessing,evenlifeforevermore。"
"Stayanddrinksomecoffee,"saidtheGerman。
"No,thankyou,myfriend;Ihavebusinessthatmustbedonetonight,"saidBonaparte。"Yourdearsonappearstohavegonetosleep。Heisgoingtotakethewagontothemilltomorrow!Whatalittlemanheis。"
"Afineboy。"
Butthoughtheboynoddedbeforethefirehewasnotasleep;andtheyallkneltdowntopray。
WhentheyrosefromtheirkneesBonaparteextendedhishandtoWaldo,andpattedhimonthehead。
"Goodnight,mylad,"saidhe。"Asyougotothemilltomorrow,weshallnotseeyouforsomedays。Goodnight!Good—bye!TheLordblessandguideyou;andmayHebringyoubacktousinsafetyandfindusallasyouhaveleftus!"Helaidsomeemphasisonthelastwords。"Andyou,mydearfriend,"headded,turningwithredoubledwarmthtotheGerman,"long,longshallIlookbacktothiseveningasatimeofrefreshingfromthepresenceoftheLord,asanhourofblessedintercoursewithabrotherinJesus。
Maysuchoftenreturn。TheLordblessyou!"headded,withyetdeeperfervour,"richly,richly。"
Thenheopenedthedoorandvanishedoutintothedarkness。
"He,he,he!"laughedBonaparte,ashestumbledoverthestones。"Ifthereisn’ttherarestlotoffoolsonthisfarmthateverGodAlmightystucklegsto。He,he,he!Whenthewormscomeoutthentheblackbirdsfeed。
Ha,ha,ha!"Thenhedrewhimselfup;evenwhenalonehelikedtoposewithacertaindignity;itwassecondnaturetohim。
Helookedinatthekitchendoor。TheHottentotmaidwhoactedasinterpreterbetweenTantSannieandhimselfwasgone,andTantSannieherselfwasinbed。
"Nevermind,Bon,myboy,"hesaid,ashewalkedroundtohisownroom,"tomorrowwilldo。He,he,he!"
Chapter1。VIII。HeCatchestheOldBird。
Atfouro’clockthenextafternoontheGermanrodeacrosstheplain,returningfromhissearchforthelostsheep。Herodeslowly,forhehadbeeninthesaddlesincesunriseandwassomewhatweary,andtheheatoftheafternoonmadehishorsesleepyasitpickeditswayslowlyalongthesandyroad。Everynowandthenagreatredspiderwouldstartoutofthekarooononesideofthepathandrunacrosstotheother,butnothingelsebrokethestillmonotony。Presently,behindoneofthehighestofthemilk—bushesthatdottedtheroadside,theGermancaughtsightofaKafferwoman,seatedthereevidentlyforsuchshadowasthemilk—bushmightaffordfromtheslopingraysofthesun。
TheGermanturnedthehorse’sheadoutoftheroad。Itwasnothiswaytopassalivingcreaturewithoutawordofgreeting。Comingnearer,hefounditwasnootherthanthewifeoftheabscondingKafferherd。Shehadababytiedonherbackbyadirtystripofredblanket;anotherstriphardlylargerwastwistedroundherwaist,fortherestherblackbodywasnaked。
Shewasasullen,ill—lookingwomanwithlipshideouslyprotruding。
TheGermanquestionedherastohowshecamethere。ShemutteredinbrokenDutchthatshehadbeenturnedaway。Hadshedoneevil?Sheshookherheadsullenly。Hadshehadfoodgivenher?Shegruntedanegative,andfannedthefliesfromherbaby。Tellingthewomantoremainwhereshewas,heturnedhishorse’sheadtotheroadandrodeoffatafuriouspace。
"Hard—hearted!cruel!Oh,myGod!Isthistheway?Isthischarity?"
"Yes,yes,yes,"ejaculatedtheoldmanasherodeon;but,presently,hisangerbegantoevaporate,hishorse’spaceslackened,andbythetimehehadreachedhisowndoorhewasnoddingandsmiling。
Dismountingquickly,hewenttothegreatchestwherehisprovisionswerekept。Herehegotoutalittlemeal,alittlemealies,afewroaster—
cakes。Thesehetiedupinthreebluehandkerchiefs,andputtingthemintoasailclothbag,hestrungthemoverhisshoulders。Thenhelookedcircumspectlyoutatthedoor。Itwasverybadtobediscoveredintheactofgiving;itmadehimreduptotherootsofhisoldgrizzledhair。Noonewasabout,however,soherodeoffagain。Besidethemilk—bushsattheKafferwomanstill——likeHagar,hethought,thrustoutbyhermistressinthewildernesstodie。Tellinghertoloosenthehandkerchieffromherhead,hepouredintoitthecontentsofhisbag。Thewomantieditupinsullensilence。
"Youmusttryandgettothenextfarm,"saidtheGerman。
Thewomanshookherhead;shewouldsleepinthefield。
TheGermanreflected。Kafferwomenwereaccustomedtosleepintheopenair;butthen,thechildwassmall,andaftersohotadaythenightmightbechilly。Thatshewouldcreepbacktothehutsatthehomesteadwhenthedarknessfavouredher,theGerman’ssagacitydidnotmakeevidenttohim。
Hetookofftheoldbrownsalt—and—peppercoat,andhelditouttoher。
Thewomanreceiveditinsilence,andlaiditacrossherknee。"Withthattheywillsleepwarmly;notsobad。Ha,ha!"saidtheGerman。Andherodehome,noddinghisheadinamannerthatwouldhavemadeanyothermandizzy。
"Iwishhewouldnotcomebacktonight,"saidEm,herfacewetwithtears。
"Itwillbejustthesameifhecomesbacktomorrow,"saidLyndall。
ThetwogirlssatonthestepofthecabinweepingfortheGerman’sreturn。
Lyndallshadedhereyeswithherhandfromthesunsetlight。
"Therehecomes,"shesaid,"whistling’AchJerusalemduschone’soloudI
canhearhimfromhere。"
"Perhapshehasfoundthesheep。"
"Foundthem!"saidLyndall。"Hewouldwhistlejustsoifheknewhehadtodietonight。"
"Youlookatthesunset,eh,chickens?"theGermansaid,ashecameupatasmartcanter。"Ah,yes,thatisbeautiful!"headded,ashedismounted,pausingforamomentwithhishandonthesaddletolookattheeveningsky,wherethesunshotuplongflamingstreaks,betweenwhichandtheeyethinyellowcloudsfloated。"Ei!youweep?"saidtheGerman,asthegirlsranuptohim。
BeforetheyhadtimetoreplythevoiceofTantSanniewasheard。
"Youchild,ofthechild,ofthechildofaKaffer’sdog,comehere!"
TheGermanlookedup。HethoughttheDutchwoman,comeouttocoolherselfintheyard,calledtosomemisbehavingservant。Theoldmanlookedroundtoseewhoitmightbe。
"YouoldvagabondofaprayingGerman,areyoudeaf?"
TantSanniestoodbeforethestepsofthekitchen;uponthemsattheleanHottentot,uponthehigheststoodBonaparteBlenkins,bothhandsfoldedunderthetailsofhiscoat,andhiseyesfixedonthesunsetsky。
TheGermandroppedthesaddleontheground。
"Bish,bish,bish!whatmaythisbe?"hesaid,andwalkedtowardthehouse。
"Verystrange!"
Thegirlsfollowedhim:Emstillweeping;Lyndallwithherfaceratherwhiteandhereyeswideopen。
"AndIhavetheheartofadevil,didyousay?Youcouldrunmethroughwithaknife,couldyou?"criedtheDutchwoman。"IcouldnotdrivetheKaffermaidawaybecauseIwasafraidofyou,wasI?Oh,youmiserablerag!Ilovedyou,didI?Iwouldhavelikedtomarryyou,wouldI?wouldI?WOULDI?"criedtheBoer—woman;"youcat’stail,youdog’spaw!Benearmyhousetomorrowmorningwhenthesunrises,"shegasped,"myKafferswilldragyouthroughthesand。Theywoulddoitgladly,anyofthem,forabitoftobacco,forallyourprayingswiththem。"
"Iambewildered,Iambewildered,saidtheGerman,standingbeforeherandraisinghishandtohisforehead;"I——Idonotunderstand。"
"Askhim,askhim?"criedTantSannie,pointingtoBonaparte;"heknows。
Youthoughthecouldnotmakemeunderstand,buthedid,hedid,youoldfool!IknowenoughEnglishforthat。Youbehere,"shoutedtheDutchwoman,"whenthemorningstarrises,andIwillletmyKafferstakeyououtanddragyou,tillthereisnotoneboneleftinyouroldbodythatisnotbrokenasfineasbobootie—meat,youoldbeggar!Allyourragsarenotworththat——theyshouldbethrownoutontotheash—heap,"criedtheBoer—woman;"butIwillhavethemformysheep。Notonerottenhoofofyouroldmaredoyoutakewithyou;Iwillhaveher——all,allformysheepthatyouhavelost,yougodlessthing!"
TheBoer—womanwipedthemoisturefromhermouthwiththepalmofherhand。
TheGermanturnedtoBonaparte,whostillstoodonthestepabsorbedinthebeautyofthesunset。
"Donotaddressme;donotapproachme,lostman,"saidBonaparte,notmovinghiseyenorloweringhischin。"Thereisacrimefromwhichallnaturerevolts;thereisacrimewhosenameisloathsometothehumanear——
thatcrimeisyours;thatcrimeisingratitude。Thiswomanhasbeenyourbenefactress;onherfarmyouhavelived;afterhersheepyouhavelooked;
intoherhouseyouhavebeenallowedtoenterandholdDivineservice——anhonourofwhichyouwereneverworthy;andhowhaveyourewardedher?——
basely,basely,basely!"
"Butitisallfalse,liesandfalsehoods。Imust,Iwillspeak,"saidtheGerman,suddenlylookingroundbewildered。"DoIdream?Areyoumad?
Whatmayitbe?"
"Go,dog,"criedtheDutchwoman;"Iwouldhavebeenarichwomanthisdayifithadnotbeenforyourlaziness。PrayingwiththeKaffersbehindthekraalwalls。Go,youKaffer’sdog!"
"Butwhatthenisthematter?WhatmayhavehappenedsinceIleft?"saidtheGerman,turningtotheHottentotwoman,whosatuponthestep。
Shewashisfriend;shewouldtellhimkindlythetruth。Thewomanansweredbyaloud,ringinglaugh。
"Giveithim,oldmissis!Giveithim!"
Itwassonicetoseethewhitemanwhohadbeenmasterhunteddown。Thecolouredwomanlaughed,andthrewadozenmealiegrainsintohermouthtochew。
Allangerandexcitementfadedfromtheoldman’sface。Heturnedslowlyawayandwalkeddownthelittlepathtohiscabin,withhisshouldersbent;
itwasalldarkbeforehim。Hestumbledoverthethresholdofhisownwell—knowndoor。
Em,sobbingbitterly,wouldhavefollowedhim;buttheBoer—womanpreventedherbyafloodofspeechwhichconvulsedtheHottentot,solowwereitsimages。
"Come,Em,"saidLyndall,liftinghersmallproudhead,"letusgoin。Wewillnotstaytohearsuchlanguage。"
ShelookedintotheBoer—woman’seyes。TantSannieunderstoodthemeaningofthelookifnotthewords。Shewaddledafterthem,andcaughtEmbythearm。ShehadstruckLyndallonceyearsbefore,andhadneverdoneitagain,soshetookEm。
"Soyouwilldefyme,too,willyou,youEnglishman’sugliness!"shecried,andwithonehandsheforcedthechilddown,andheldherheadtightlyagainstherknee;withtheothershebeatherfirstupononecheek,andthenupontheother。
ForoneinstantLyndalllookedon,thenshelaidhersmallfingersontheBoer—woman’sarm。WiththeexertionofhalfitsstrengthTantSanniemighthaveflungthegirlbackuponthestones。Itwasnotthepoweroftheslightfingers,tightlythoughtheyclinchedherbroadwrist——sotightlythatatbedtimethemarkswerestillthere;buttheBoer—womanlookedintothecleareyesandatthequiveringwhitelips,andwithahalf—surprisedcurserelaxedherhold。ThegirldrewEm’sarmthroughherown。
"Move!"shesaidtoBonaparte,whostoodinthedoor,andhe,Bonapartetheinvincible,inthehourofhistriumph,movedtogiveherplace。
TheHottentotceasedtolaugh,andanuncomfortablesilencefellonallthethreeinthedoorway。
Onceintheirroom,Emsatdownonthefloorandwailedbitterly。Lyndalllayonthebedwithherarmdrawnacrosshereyes,verywhiteandstill。
"Hoo,hoo!"criedEm;"andtheywon’tlethimtakethegreymare;andWaldohasgonetothemill。Hoo,hoo,andperhapstheywon’tletusgoandsaygood—byetohim。Hoo,hoo,hoo!"
"Iwishyouwouldbequiet,"saidLyndallwithoutmoving。"DoesitgiveyousuchfelicitytoletBonaparteknowheishurtingyou?Wewillasknoone。Itwillbesuppertimesoon。Listen——andwhenyouheartheclinkoftheknivesandforkswewillgooutandseehim。
Emsuppressedhersobsandlistenedintently,kneelingatthedoor。
Suddenlysomeonecametothewindowandputtheshutterup。
"Whowasthat?"saidLyndall,starting。
"Thegirl,Isuppose,"saidEm。Howearlysheisthisevening!"
ButLyndallsprangfromthebedandseizedthehandleofthedoor,shakingitfiercely。Thedoorwaslockedontheoutside。Shegroundherteeth。
"Whatisthematter?"askedEm。
Theroomwasinperfectdarknessnow。