He said you must be starving. We were all
anxious about you--"
"And he tried to swim across?"
"Yes, yes! And he is drowned! Oh, my poor, poor boy!"
She was shaking with the sudden chill of dreadful loss. He stooped, and
felt inside the shelter with a long arm for the old woollen cloak and
wrapped her carefully in it. He raked out the blanket and made her sit
with it tucked about her feet. And she was passive in his hands, with
thought as yet for nothing but her loss.
She was shaken with broken sobs, and in the face of grief such as this
he could find no words. What could he say? All the words in the world
could not bring back the dead.
And it was through him this great sorrow had come upon her. He seemed
fated to bring misfortune on their house.
He wondered if she would hate him for it, though she must know he had
had no more to do with the matter than with Tom's death.
He put a protecting arm round the old cloak, tentatively, and in some
fear lest she might resent it, but knew no other way to convey to her
what was in his heart.
But she did not resent it, and nothing was further from her mind than
imputing any share in this loss to him.
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