It refreshed and
soothed her greatly, so much that, reclining against a tree, but where
she would be quite visible from the trail, her eyes closed dreamily, and
presently she slept.
When she awoke, the shafts of sunlight were striking almost level into
her eyes. She must have slept two hours. Her father had not returned;
she knew the passage of the wagon would have awakened her. She began to
feel strange, but not yet alarmed; it was only the uncertainty that made
her uneasy. Had her father really gone on by some other trail? Or had he
really hurried on and left her, as he said he would? The thought
brought an odd excitement to her rather than any fear. A sudden sense of
freedom, as if some galling chain had dropped from her, sent a singular
thrill through her frame. Yet she felt confused with her independence,
not knowing what to do with it, and momentarily dazzled with the
possible gift.
At this moment she heard voices, and the figures of two men appeared on
the trail.
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