Virginia, with a sigh, brought her eyes down from the glitter
of the wide heavens and sought Norton's.
"I am afraid," she said listlessly, "that there is no way out for us,
Rod Norton."
"There is a way!" he began quickly
"There is no way unless you do what I say. If you would only give me
your word to take the stage to-morrow, to go to a competent surgeon, to
submit to the operation. If you would only give me your word. . . ."
"I give you my word," he said sharply, "that that is just the thing
which I will never do. Virginia, breathe deep, fill your lungs with
the wonder of the night; realize what it means to live; think what it
means to die! You say that I am not afraid of death; well, maybe not
if it comes in a guise I have grown up to be familiar with. But to lie
as I saw Tony Garcia lying just now, powerless, unconscious, without
will or knowledge of what was coming to me, and to let a man cut into
me . . . I'd rather die, I think, standing upon my two feet and
fighting it out with a gun! You would go on and tell me that the
chances would be highly in favor of my recovery; and yet you would
admit that the danger would be grave."
"Then you are afraid, after all? That is it? That holds you back?"
She found it hard to believe that he was telling her his true emotion.
Pages:
216
217
218
219
220
221
222
223
224
225
226
227
228
229
230
231
232
233
234
235
236
237
238
239
240