He therefore adopted what was, doubtless, the best
course, had he but known it, of letting her alone. After a time, the
violence of her crying abated, and only short sobs broke from her, as
she sat with her face hidden in her hands.
"That is right, Annie," he said, putting his hand on her shoulder. "It
is quite natural for you to cry, after the excitement and fatigue you
have gone through. You have been very brave, and have not said a word
of complaint today about your fatigue, although you must be
desperately tired. Now, try and pull yourself together. It is getting
dark already, and we ought to be moving on to Ryacotta, which cannot
be much more than a mile away. You shall ride in front of me, when we
get there."
"I would rather not," she said, getting up with a painful effort. "I
am awfully foolish, and I am so sorry that I broke down, but I felt so
delighted that I could not help it. You said we could camp, safely,
when we once got across the frontier. Would you mind doing so? For I
don't think I could go much farther."
"Certainly we can camp," Dick said cheerfully. "But we must get a
little bit farther from that post we passed. If they were to see a
fire, here, they would be sure to suspect something.
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