Lest her agitation should be noted too keenly, she bent forward and
propped her face on her clenched hands, staring fixedly at the distant
cliffs in a supreme effort to appear apathetic. Elsie heard that dry
sob, but her friend's seeming indifference misled her.
"Yes," she said, wondering a little whether or not Christobal's veiled
hint regarding a by-gone tenderness between the two might account for
Isobel's hysterical outburst on the night of the ship's break-down.
Indeed, so warm-hearted was she that she hesitated a moment before
continuing; but she felt that it would be altogether better for Isobel
to be prepared for the revelations which the successful end of the
ship's voyage would assuredly bring forth. So, pondering unspoken
thoughts the while, she told the others exactly what Tollemache,
Christobal and Courtenay had said, and even revealed to them that which
Courtenay himself did not yet know.
"You remember the poor fellow who got into trouble soon after we sailed
from Valparaiso?" she said. "His name is Frascuelo. He was wounded
again in last night's fight, but not seriously, and he and I are quite
chums.
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