"You won't
take her away, will you?"
"If she will come with me I will not take her where she won't come
back. Can't we start?"
But the child was obdurate. She would do nothing until her purchase
was made, and to her entreaties her father finally yielded, and a few
minutes later Van Landing and his new acquaintances were on a
down-town car, bound for a shopping district as unknown to him as the
shops in which he was accustomed to deal were unknown to them.
Still a bit dazed by his chance discovery, he made no comment on the
child's continual chatter, but let her exuberance and delight have
full play while he tried to adjust himself to a realization that made
all thought but a chaotic mixture of hope and doubt, of turbulent fear
and determined purpose, and of one thing only was he sure. Three years
of his life had been wasted. Another hour should not be lost were it
in his power to prevent.
CHAPTER VI
When the store was reached Van Landing for the first time was able to
see distinctly the faces of Carmencita and her father, and as for a
moment he watched the slim little body in its long coat, once the
property, undoubtedly, of a much bigger person, saw her eager,
wonder-filled eyes, and the wistful mouth which had learned to smile
at surrender, the strings of his heart twisted in protest, and for the
"damanarkist" of whom she had spoken, for the moment he had sympathy
of which on yesterday there would have been no understanding.
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