Chapter XXV--A Little Child Shall Lead

by Bram Stoker

　　After dinner Harold went back to his cabin; locking himself in, helay down on the sofa. The gloom of his great sorrow was heavy onhim; the reaction from the excitement of the morning had come.He was recalled to himself by a gentle tapping. Unlocking andopening the door he saw Mr. Stonehouse, who said with trouble in hisvoice:'I came to you on account of my little child.' There he stopped witha break in his voice. Harold, with intent to set his mind at easeand to stave off further expressions of gratitude, replied:'Oh, pray don't say anything. I am only too glad that I wasprivileged to be of service. I only trust that the dear little girlis no worse for her--her adventure!''That is why I am here,' said the father quickly. 'My wife and I areloth to trouble you. But the poor little thing has worked herselfinto a paroxysm of fright and is calling for you. We have tried invain to comfort or reassure her. She will not be satisfied withoutyou. She keeps calling on "The Man" to come and help her. I am lothto put you to further strain after all you have gone through to-day;but if you would come--' Harold was already in the passage as hespoke:'Of course I'm coming. If I can in any way help it is both apleasure and a duty to be with her.' Turning to the father he added:'She is indeed a very sweet and good child. I shall never forget howshe bore herself whilst we waited for aid to come.''You must tell her mother and me all about it,' said the father; muchmoved.When they came close to the Stonehouses' suite of rooms they heardPearl's voice rising with a pitiful note of fear:'Where is The Man? Oh! where is The Man? Why doesn't he come to me?He can save me! I want to be with The Man!' When the door openedand she saw him she gave shriek of delight, and springing from thearms of her mother fairly leaped into Harold's arms which wereoutstretched to receive her. She clung to him and kissed him againand again, rubbing her little hands all over his face as though toprove to herself that he was real and not a dream. Then with a sighshe laid her head on his breast, the reaction of sleep coming all atonce to her. With a gesture of silence Harold sat down, holding thechild in his arms. Her mother laid a thick shawl over and sat downclose to Harold. Mr. Stonehouse stood quiet in the doorway with thechild's nurse peering anxiously over his shoulder.After a little while, when he thought she was asleep, Harold rose andbegan to place her gently in the bunk. But the moment he did so shewaked with a scream. The fright in her eyes was terrible. She clungto him, moaning and crying out between her sobs:'Don't leave me! Don't leave me! Don't leave me!' Harold was muchmoved and held the little thing tight in his strong arms, saying toher:'No darling! I shan't leave you! Look in my eyes, dear, and I willpromise you, and then you will be happy. Won't you?'She looked quickly up in his face. Then she kissed him lovingly, andrested her head, but not sleepily this time, on his breast said:'Yes! I'm not afraid now! I'm going to stay with The Man!'Presently Mrs. Stonehouse, who had been thinking of ways and means,and of the comfort of the strange man who had been so good to herchild, said:'You will sleep with mother to-night, darling. Mr. . . . The Man,'she said this with an appealing look of apology to Harold, 'The Manwill stay by you till you are asleep . . . ' But she interrupted,not fretfully or argumentatively, but with a settled air of content:'No! I'm going to sleep with The Man!''But, dear one,' the mother expostulated, 'The Man will want sleeptoo.''All right, mother. He can sleep too. I'll be very good and liequite quiet; but oh! mother, I can't sleep unless his arms are roundme. I'm afraid if they're not the sea will get me!' and she clungcloser to Harold, tightening her arms round his neck.'You will not mind?' asked Mrs. Stonehouse timidly to Harold; and,seeing acquiescence in his face, added in a burst of tearfulgratitude:'Oh! you are good to her to us all!''Hush!' Harold said quietly. Then he said to Pearl, in a cheerfulmatter-of-fact way which carried conviction to the child's mind:'Now, darling, it is time for all good little girls to be asleep,especially when they have had an--an interesting day. You wait heretill I put my pyjamas on, and then I'll come back for you. Andmother and father shall come and see you nicely tucked in!''Don't be long!' the child anxiously called after him as he hurriedaway. Even trust can have its doubts.In a few minutes Harold was back, in pyjamas and slipper and adressing-gown. Pearl, already wrapped in a warm shawl by her mother,held out her arms to Harold, who lifted her.The Stonehouses' suite of rooms was close to the top of thecompanion-way, and as Harold's stateroom was on the saloon deck, thelittle procession had, much to the man's concern, run the gauntlet ofthe thong of passengers whom the bad weather had kept indoors. Whenhe came out of the day cabin carrying the child there was a rush ofall the women to make much of the little girl. They were all verykind and no troublesome; their interest was natural enough, andHarold stopped whilst they petted the little thing.The little procession followed. Mr. and Mrs. Stonehouse coming next,and last the nurse, who manifested a phase of the anxiety of a henwho sees her foster ducklings waddling toward a pond.When Harold was in his bunk the little maid was brought in.When they had all gone and the cabin was dark, save for the gleamfrom the nightlight which the careful mother had placed out of sightin the basin at the foot of the bunk, Harold lay a long time in anegative state, if such be possible, in so far as thought wasconcerned.Presently he became conscious of a movement of the child his arms; ashuddering movement, and a sort of smothered groan. The little thingwas living over again in sleep the perils and fears of the day.Instinctively she put up her hands and felt the a round her. Thenwith a sigh clasped her arms round his neck, and with a peaceful looklaid her head upon his breast. Even through the gates of sleep herinstinct had recognised and realised protection.And then this trust of a little child brought back the man to hisnobler self. Once again came back to him that love which he had had,and which he knew now that he had never lost, for the little childthat he had seen grow into full womanhood; whose image must dwell inhis heart of hearts for evermore.The long night's sleep quite restored Pearl. She woke fairly earlyand without any recurrence of fear. At first she lay still, fearingshe would wake The Man, but finding that he was awake--he had notslept a wink all night--she kissed him and then scrambled out of bed.It was still early morning, but early hours rule on shipland. Haroldrang for the steward, and when the man came he told him to tell Mr.Stonehouse that the child was awake. His delight when he found thechild unfrightened looking out of the port was unbounded.