[Gascoyne, The Sandal Wood Trader by R. M. Ballantyne]@TWC D-Link book
Gascoyne, The Sandal Wood Trader

CHAPTER XV
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Don't _you_, Corrie ?" The tone in which this question was put showed that the poor child did not feel quite so certain of the arrival of succor as her words implied.
Corrie perceived this at once, and, with the heroism of a true lover, he crushed back the feelings of anxiety and alarm which were creeping over his own stout little heart in spite of his brave words, and gave utterance to encouraging expressions and even to slightly jovial sentiments, which tended very much to comfort Alice, and Poopy too.
"Sure ?" he exclaimed, rolling on his other side to obtain a view of the child (for, owing to his position and his fettered condition, he had to turn on his right side when he wished to look at Poopy, and on his left when he addressed himself to Alice).

"Sure?
why, of course I'm sure.
D'ye think your father would leave you lying out in the cold all night ?" "No, that I am certain he would not," cried Alice, enthusiastically; "but, then, he does not know we are here, and will never think of looking for us in such an unlikely place." "Humph! that only shows your ignorance," said Corrie.
"Well, I dare say I _am_ very ignorant," replied Alice, meekly.
"No, no! I don't mean _that_," cried Corrie, with a feeling of self-reproach.

"I don't mean to say that you're ignorant in a general way, you know, but only about what men are likely to do, d'ye see, when they're hard put to it, you understand.

_Our_ feelings are so different from yours, you know, and--and--" Here Corrie broke down, and in order to change the subject abruptly he rolled round towards Poopy, and cried, with considerable asperity: "What on earth d'ye mean, Kickup, by wriggling about your black body in that fashion?
If you don't stop it you'll fetch way down the hill, and go slap over the precipice, carrying Alice and me along with you.

Give it up now; d'ye hear ?" "No, me won't," cried Poopy, with great passion, while tears sprang from her large eyes, and coursed over her sable cheeks.


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