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She looked cautiously about the sun-lighted place and peered into the gloom of the forest-edge, then she looked again at Nancy, while her thin hand pointed to the mound under the tree across the bit of open. Nancy shuddered. "What is that?" she gasped. "Yo' little grave, Zalie yo' little bed.
"Us-all is safe no one comes nigh it's comfortin' ter tech yo', Zalie, an' hit is well placed. Through all the years I done wanted to tell yo'; I've said it by yo' grave many's the time, chile " Becky waited a moment.
Becky's voice was sepulchral. "You mean," Angela asked, "that if Zalie comes back with a child that you want me to take it, find a home for it where no one will ever know?" "You-all don promised to help me," Becky pleaded, for she caught the doubting tone in Angela's voice; "you-all ain't goin' back on that, air yo'?" The burning eyes fell upon the cross at Angela's side. "No," she said. "No.
On that first encounter Sister Angela had said: "They tell me that you have a little granddaughter a very pretty child." "Yo' mean Zalie?" Becky was on her guard. "I did not know her name. How old is she?" "Nigh onter fifteen." The strange eyes were holding Sister Angela's calm gaze the old woman was awaiting the time to spring.
It was a stranger as brought Zalie to me, and then I set myself to the task of keeping her from the curse but she got the call and she went! I can see her" here the strange eyes looked as the eyes of a seer look they were following the girl on the "larnin' way"; the tired voice trailed sadly "I can see how she went.
She heard the crackling voice behind her: "Jes' creep back by yourself, eh, Zalie?" And then came the sound of metal patting down the loose earth on the mound by the solemn trees. Nancy could never tell what occurred on her descent from Thunder Peak. When she reached The Gap, she found that her dogs had strayed from her: they had either dropped behind or run before. She was not exhausted.
Mary's face underwent a marvellous change it grew tender, wistful. "Set, Aunt Becky," she said, compassionately, and gently pushed the woman into a deep rocker covered over with a dirty quilt; "set and don't be frightened. I ain't come to hurt yo' I've come to help." Becky seemed to shrink. "Hit's in " she began, but Mary silenced her. "No hit ain't in the grave! Zalie she knows it an' I know it!"
Becky gave a rough laugh. "Not the agony o' death an' the fear o' hell could wring that out of Zalie," she said. Then: "Yo' ain't goin' back on yo' promise, are yo'?" Sister Angela rallied. At any moment the wheels on the road might end her time for considering poor Becky. "You mean," she whispered, "that you renounce this child; give it to me, now? You mean that I must find a home for it?"
"Yo' done promised an' it eased Zalie at the end." Angela reached for the child she was calm and self-possessed at last. This was not the first child she had rescued. "It is a girl?" she asked, lifting the tiny form. "Hit's a girl. Give hit a chance." "I will." Then Angela wrapped the child in the old quilt and turned toward the door.
"You-all keep yo' hands off Zalie an' me! I kin larn my gal all she needs to know. All other larnin' would harm her, and no Popish folk ain't going to tech what's mine." So that was what kept them apart! Sister Angela drew back. For a moment she did not understand; then she smiled and bent nearer. "You think us Catholics? We are not; but if we were it would be just the same.
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