But now as Barnabas sat there staring into the fire and lost in
thought, he became, all at once, a prey to Doubt and Fear once again,
doubt of himself, and fear of the future; for, bethinking him of his
father's last words, it seemed to him that he had indeed chosen the
harder course, since his days, henceforth, must needs stretch away--a
dismal prospect wherein no woman's form might go beside him, no soft
voice cheer him, no tender hand be stretched out to soothe his griefs;
truly he had chosen the harder way, a very desolate way where no
light fall of a woman's foot might banish for him its loneliness.
And presently, being full of such despondent thoughts, Barnabas
looked up and found himself alone amid the gathering shadows. And
straightway he felt aggrieved, and wondered why his father and Natty
Bell must needs go off and leave him in this dark hour just when he
most needed them.
Therefore he would have risen to seek them out but, in the act of
doing so, caught one of his spurs in the rug, and strove vainly to
release himself, for try how he would he might not reach down so far
because of the pain of his wounded shoulder.
Pages:
815
816
817
818
819
820
821
822
823
824
825
826
827
828
829
830
831
832
833
834
835
836
837
838
839