I was not now
concealed, but her eyes seemed fixed upon the path in which she was
walking.
When she was within a hundred feet of the thicket through which her path
would lead, I advanced to meet her. I tried to appear cool and composed,
but I am afraid my success was slight. As for Sylvia, she stopped
abruptly, and dropped her leathern case. I think that at first she did
not recognize me, and was on the point of screaming. Suddenly to come
upon a man in the midst of these solitudes was indeed startling.
Quickly, however, I made myself known, and her expression of fright
changed to one of amazement. I am happy to say that she took the hand I
offered her, though she seemed to have no words with which to return my
formal greeting. In cases like this, the one who amazes should not
impose upon the amazed one the necessity of asking questions, but should
begin immediately to explain the situation.
This I did. I told Sylvia how I had been accidentally brought to Captain
Jabe's house, how I had strolled off in this direction, and how
delighted I was to meet her here. In all this I was careful not to
intimate that I had suspected her presence in this region. While
speaking, I tried hard to think what I should say when she should
remark, "Then you did not know I was here?" But she did not make this
remark.
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