Page:Robert William Cole - The Struggle for Empire; A Story of the Year 2236 (1900).djvu/140

128 The others were quite dead, but you were still warm, so we put you to bed and blew air into you and tried to revive you. For a long time all our efforts were in vain, but at last we were relieved by seeing you begin to breathe. You hung between life and death for days. Every time I looked at you I expected to see that you had breathed your last. Herbert said he was so afraid that you had received severe internal injuries from having been in a vacuum, but I don't think you are much the worse for it now, except your broken leg, which we managed to patch together for you.'

'I owe my life to you,' he said gratefully as he pressed her hand.

'To Herbert,' said Celia laughingly.

'To you.'

'Herbert carried you down here. It was his ship that saved you,' with another laugh.

'But you nursed me.'

'Well, what if I did? It would have been very unkind of me if I had not.'