Ethra

"Ethra," he began -- and stopped short under the sudden and unexpected unfriendliness of her glance.

The Gay Rebellion Edmund Frederick 1899

And Ethra, the wife of a noble man named Euchadius, lay dead; and he, carrying her body placed on a bier, met Saint Patrick near a certain ford in Connactia.

The Most Ancient Lives of Saint Patrick Including the Life by Jocelin, Hitherto Unpublished in America, and His Extant Writings Various

And, bending, she kissed Ethra lightly on the lips, whispering:

The Gay Rebellion Edmund Frederick 1899

And Ethra reeled back against a tree and cowered there, covering her shocked eyes with shaking fingers.

The Gay Rebellion Edmund Frederick 1899

And all the while, from the shadow of a distant cave, Ethra was watching him with great content.

The Gay Rebellion Edmund Frederick 1899

Ethra saw him coming, and his stride and expression scared her.

The Gay Rebellion Edmund Frederick 1899

"I suppose I'd better begin to stalk him, Ethra," she said.

The Gay Rebellion Edmund Frederick 1899

Ethra said: "Oh, yes, there are those first four men we caught -- Mr. Willett, Mr. Carrick, Mr. Smith, and Mr. Green."

The Gay Rebellion Edmund Frederick 1899

"Well, of all the insignificant looking young men," she murmured to herself as Ethra and her acquisition walked away along the path, side by side.

The Gay Rebellion Edmund Frederick 1899

Instantly, across the stream, she saw Ethra step out of the willows into plain view; saw Langdon wake up, stare, get up, and regard the beautiful vision across the stream with concentrated and delighted attention.

The Gay Rebellion Edmund Frederick 1899