"No, no, Tess!" Then desperately, "Oh, in God's name, how am I ever going to get it out?"
Tessibel became suddenly terror-stricken. It must be something very serious to force from him such language in such heart-rending tones. She shivered nervously.
"You mustn't think for a moment, Tess," the boy burst forth, with renewed courage, "that I don't love you! I shall love you always, always."
"Always," echoed Tess, reassured. If Frederick loved her, nothing else mattered. Perhaps his mother was--Her thought snapped in two at an ejaculation from Frederick.
"And what I do is because--well, because--I must," he stammered. "You understand that, don't you, sweetheart?"
"Sure," agreed Tess, puzzled.
"And nothing will ever be changed between you and me--"
"Nothin' can ever hurt us, Frederick," she interrupted quickly.
And Tess believed this to be the eternal truth. Faith the size of a grain of mustard seed had piloted her through severe storms. Since Daddy Skinner had been restored to her, that faith had grown to the size of the mountain itself.
"I won't let it," went on the student, swiftly. "Neither must you. You must trust me--you must believe! No, don't put your arms around my neck till I've finished!... And then, oh, my little girl, I shan't let you out of my arms, ever! ever!"
Greatly moved, he suddenly reached forth and drew her unresistingly to him, smothering her hair, her eyes with kisses, clinging to her, as if he would never, never let her go.
Her heart beat wildly against his.... And she loved him more than all the world, and loved God more because of him.
But he released her almost immediately, and Tessibel sank back, sighing.
She was no longer nervously eager to divulge her secret. She waited almost mechanically, as one waits for an advancing joy--as a hungry man watches abundant preparation for the appeasing of his hunger. Hearing him groan, she turned troubled eyes up to his.
"Daddy always says for to tell bad things quick!"
But this only served to call forth another deep breath of misery. After a lapse of what seemed ages to the waiting girl, Frederick gathered courage, and began,
"Tess, I've told you how very ill my mother is, haven't I?"
"Yes, an' I air awful sorry, dearie," she murmured.
The compassion he aroused subdued her voice to a whisper.
"And she's asked me to do something for her and I've--got to do it, Tessibel," faltered Frederick.
"Sure ye have," Tess agreed.
"I didn't decide to do it, honey,"--Frederick was avoiding the vital part--"until I saw how I could not let it make any difference to us. It won't make any difference, dear heart!"
And Tess, already living in some distant day with full heart and full arms, breathed.
"No, darlin', no difference to us.... 'Course not!"
"Oh, I'm glad, so glad to hear you say that!" said Frederick, relief in his voice. "It won't be so dreadful, my sweet, if you trust me. And it won't be long--perhaps a year, perhaps two years--"
Tessibel's muscles grew suddenly rigid.
"Years, ye say?" she repeated, stupefied. "What years? Why years?"
The resigned and submissive Tess changed instantly to an intense, resolute woman, with compelling, fear-clouded eyes. Frederick, alarmed, hastened to explain.
"You remember Madelene Waldstricker, don't you?"
Did she remember Madelene Waldstricker? Would she ever forget that one night when he had treated her, his own wife, as though she were a stranger?
"Sure, I remember 'er," she admitted, flushing. "What about 'er?"
Before replying, Frederick snatched her hand and kissed it.
"My mother.... Oh, Tessibel, it'll be all right--" He paused, then finished despairingly, "My mother wants me to marry her!"
Tess caught the picture his words suggested; then recoiled as if death in monstrous guise had appeared before her, open-armed. Incredulous horror leapt alive in her eyes. He had said, "My mother wants me to marry Madelene Waldstricker." But even though his mother had demanded it, he couldn't! He wouldn't.... But he'd said he must!
Tess clenched her hands until the nails pressed into the flesh of her palms. Her throat refused to yield a speaking voice, but something screamed aloud within her as if a giant hand had clutched and torn her soul.
"But ye air married to me," she got out at last, piteously.
Frederick put his arms about her.
"I know it, girlie dear!... I'm not denying that, but no one knows it but us, just you and me, and I'm afraid ... I've got to do ... this ...
Mother ..."
"Oh, God, no!" shuddered Tess.
Oh, he couldn't mean to desert her now when she needed him so--needed him more than she had even in those days when the shadow of the hateful rope hung over her beloved father; even when Teola's child had been thrust upon her, and Ben Letts had daily menaced her desolate life.
She was still for so long a time Frederick feared she'd fainted.
"Tess!" he spoke sharply.
"What?"
But it didn't sound like Tessibel's voice answering.
"Will you hear me out, dearest?" he pleaded. "Oh, won't you listen to me?"
Surely she was listening intently. He had never spoken when she had not given loving heed, if she were within the sound of his voice. Frederick attempted to raise her face to his, but with a pathetic little word of protest, she slipped from his arms, and fell face downward to the rocks.
The tortured boy would rather have had her scream, strike at him, anything, than sink into that accusing, forlorn prostration!
"Tessibel! Tess!" he cried. "Whatever I do can't separate you and me. It can't! I swear not to let it!"
He stooped and drew her gently to a sitting posture.
"No, I won't let it!" he reiterated excitedly. "I won't! No other woman _could_ ever take your place. Can't you see, Tessibel? Can't you understand what I'm telling you?"
"Nope," whispered Tess. "I ain't able to understand. Oh--" She lifted a white, twitching face. "Oh, don't go 'way an' leave me! Not now--not just yet!"