Yet for all his indifference and haste, the momentary glimpse of her
eyes had struck a chord of memory inside him, though he was far too
angry to puzzle it out. His woman (he thought of everything he desired
as his) had betrayed him, gone off, when she knew that he wanted to
see her.
Riding off in a storm of emotion, he came across Sergeant Billings as
he rejoined the main track, who with a scared face spoke of ambush and
treachery, and pointed back along the way he had come. Angered still
further by the intrusion of duty (and reality) upon his romantic
dreams, he forced out of the man what information he could, then
bluntly ordered him to be silent, and follow.
So the two rode west together, and found her still in the same
attitude, holding the body as she would a sick child. She did not at
first seem to hear them approach, till with a vehemence which startled
them both, the young Purceville screamed at her:
"What is the meaning of this!"
Mary turned, as if not understanding what was wanted of her. Her eyes
focused on him with an effort, and she replied slowly, in a voice that
seemed to come from far away: from the bottom of a well.
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