And he sat upon the rock looking, looking. It seemed useless to rise or
speak or smile; he remembered the mirth that his former efforts had
caused, and he was dumb and still.
Perhaps the sea-child found this treatment more uninteresting than that
attention he had lavished on her on the former occasion; perhaps she had
not so long to tarry. As he still watched her she turned again, and made
her way swift and straight toward the rocky point. Caius ran, following,
upon the shore, but after a minute he perceived that she could disappear
round the point before, either by swimming or wading, he could get near
her. He could not make his way around the point by the shore; his best
means of keeping her in sight was to climb the cliff, from which the
whole bay on the other side would be visible.
Like a man running a race for life, he leaped back to a place where it
was possible to climb, and, once on the top, made his way by main force
through a growth of low bushes until he could overlook the bay. But, lo!
when he came there no creature was visible in the sunny sea beneath or
on the shelving red bank which lay all plain to his view. Far and wide
he scanned the ocean, and long he stood and watched. He walked,
searching for anyone upon the bank, till he came to Day's barns, and by
that time he was convinced that the sea-maid had either vanished into
thin air or sunk down and remained beneath the surface of the sea.
Pages:
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76