Let us be thankful," he added, with a quivering lip but
steady eye, "that even this mercy hath been shown. Our babe is with the
Indian, but our hopes are far beyond the reach of savage malignity. We
have not 'laid up treasure where moth and rust can corrupt, or where
thieves may break in and steal,' It may be that the morning shall bring
means of parley, and haply, opportunity of ransom."
There was the glimmering of hope in this suggestion. The idea seemed to
give a new direction to the thoughts of Ruth, and the change enabled the
long habits of self-restraint to regain something of their former
ascendancy. The fountains of her tears became dry, and, after one short
and terrible struggle, she was again enabled to appear composed. But at
no time during the continuance of that fearful struggle, was Ruth
Heathcote again the same ready and useful agent of activity and order that
she had been in the earlier events of the night.
It is scarcely necessary to remind the reader that the brief burst of
parental agony which has just been related, escaped Content and his wife
amid a scene in which the other actors were too much occupied by their
exertions to note its exhibition.
Pages:
308
309
310
311
312
313
314
315
316
317
318
319
320
321
322
323
324
325
326
327
328
329
330
331
332