"
He spoke very quietly and reassuringly, as if being shut up in a
fallen tunnel between two masses of earth were a matter that needn't
cause one the slightest uneasiness; but his words suggested to
Elma's mind a fresh and hitherto unthought-of danger.
"Eighteen hours," she cried, horror-struck. "Do you mean to say
we may have to stop here, all alone, for eighteen hours together?
Oh, how very dreadful! How long! How frightening! And if they don't
dig us out before eighteen hours are over, do you mean to say we
shall die of choking?"
Cyril gazed down at her with a very regretful and sympathetic face.
"I didn't mean to frighten you," he said; "at least, not more than
you're frightened already; but, of course, there's only a certain
amount of oxygen in the space that's left us; and as we're using
it up at every breath, it'll naturally hold out for a limited time
only. It can't be much more than eighteen hours. Still, I don't
doubt they'll begin digging us out at once; and if they dig through
fast, they may yet be in time, even so, to save us."
Elma bent forward with her face in her hands again, and, rocking
herself to and fro in an agony of despair, gave herself vip to a
paroxysm of utter misery.
Pages:
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34