Just at a point when time seemed to have halted, the driver lifted the
rug hanging behind him, and said:--
"Here is the bend, sir, and yonder is the bourne."
Presently we knew by the breaking of the ice and the splashing of the
water that we were crossing the bourne, and when we were over, George
called to the driver, directing him to allow the horses to walk until the
order came to stop.
George dropped the front curtain, and turning to Betty and me, said:--
"Now, let us count as the clock ticks to the number 847, and when
finished, we shall be at the shrine."
"We are more apt to find a bleak moor and a sharp blast of wind," I
suggested.
While under the spell of Lilly's incantations, I had almost accepted his
absurd vaporings, but cooler thought had brought contempt, and I had
begun to look upon our journey as a very wild goose chase indeed.
"We have found the sharp turn in the road and the bourne," said George,
"and I see no reason to doubt that we shall find the shrine."
"Lilly may have passed over the road and may know that the shrine is
here; but when we find it, what will it prove?" I asked.
"It will prove nothing, though I am willing to stake my life that we find
Frances in Merlin House."
"Count!" exclaimed Betty, sharply. In our discussion, George and I had
forgotten to count, but Betty had been counting under her breath as the
clock ticks, and we took her number and started with it.
Pages:
199
200
201
202
203
204
205
206
207
208
209
210
211
212
213
214
215
216
217
218
219
220
221
222
223