He came to Mic-co's the morning I was leaving. Later we met
again at a village on the outskirts of the Glades. He waited for me.
There was a telegram there from the Baron. Philip said he knew you'd
forgive him if he sent his message on by me--his father is very ill."
"Poor Philip!" exclaimed the girl. In the fullness of her swift
compassion she forgot why Philip had gone back to the Indian village.
It flooded back directly and her wistful eyes implored.
"It was a jealous lie," said Carl gently. "The old chief knew. The
Indian who told it hated your father."
Diane sat so white and still that Carl touched her diffidently upon the
arm.
"Don't look so!" he pleaded. "There was some difficulty at first, for
Philip's Seminole is nearly as fragmentary as the old chief's English,
but they called in Sho-caw and after a host of blunders and
misunderstandings, Philip ran the thing to earth at last. Theodomir
married and divorced your mother in the Indian village just as the
paper in the candlestick said."
Still the girl did not speak or move and Carl saw with compassion that
the veins of her throat were throbbing wildly. He fell quietly to
talking of Keela, caught her interest and watched with a sense of
relief the rich color flood back to his cousin's lips and cheeks.
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