He began to sleep shorter hours; he concentrated with
every atom of determination in him; he drove himself with an iron
hand. He attacked his task from every angle, and with his fine
constitution and unbounded youthful energy he covered an amazing
quantity of work. He covered it so well, moreover, that Runnels
complimented him.
This stress of labor served one purpose for which he was very
grateful; it separated him from Edith Cortlandt and took his mind
from that occurrence in the jungle. Ever since the day of his last
ride with her, he had been tortured with the most unpleasant
thoughts. He confessed to forgetting himself briefly that night at
Taboga, but he had believed that she understood--that she regarded
him only as a chum and a companion. Therefore her open surrender,
coming so unexpectedly had dumfounded him. As he looked back upon
the incident now, it seemed inconceivable, yet her words, her
expression, her reckless abandon at that moment, were too
significant to allow of misunderstanding. Still, by dint of
determination and stern attention to his tasks, he was able to put
the matter almost wholly from his mind.
Soon after his promotion he received from Andres Garavel a warmly
worded note of congratulation, and some few days later an
invitation to dine, which he accepted eagerly.
Pages:
360
361
362
363
364
365
366
367
368
369
370
371
372
373
374
375
376
377
378
379
380
381
382
383
384