Page:Cornelia Meigs-The Pirate of Jasper Peak.djvu/163

 was evident that the two Edmonds had taken shelter from the storm in the Pirate’s cabin and  that John had become so ill that his younger  brother, in alarm, had gone for aid. Their plight must have been desperate indeed for Dick  to leave his brother alone in such a place. But why should he have gone so far when just across  the ravine help was to be had? Why did he speak of a promise? It was very hard to understand!

Nicholas arose from where he had been lying and came to stand beside him, arching his curly  neck as Hugh stroked it, and trying to burrow his  head under the boy’s arm.

“You could tell me all about it if you could talk,” said Hugh in a whisper. “Oh, dear, it is such a puzzle, I wish you could.”

He began to remember now that Jethro had dropped some hint of a misunderstanding between John Edmonds and Oscar Dansk. He had hardly noticed it when it had been mentioned, but  now he commenced to recall the fact more clearly.

“In the end even John Edmonds lost faith in