She spoke proudly of him to the Indian children, who called him
the "torch-bearer." She noticed that he was as tall as Croisset, and
taller by half a head than Jean, and that he lifted her now with one
arm as easily as if she were no heavier than a stick of wood.
Together they resumed their studies, devoting hours to them each day,
and through all that summer he taught her to play upon his violin. The
warm months were a time of idleness at Lac Bain, and Jan made the most
of them in his teaching of Melisse. She learned to read the books
which he had used at Fort Churchill, and by midsummer she could read
those which he had used at York Factory. At night they wrote letters
to each other and delivered them across the table in the cabin, while
Cummins looked on and smoked, laughing happily at what they read aloud
to him.
One night, late enough in the season for a fire to be crackling
merrily in the stove, Jan was reading one of these letters, when
Melisse cried:
"Stop, Jan--stop THERE!"
Jan caught himself, and he blushed mightily when he read the next
lines:
"'I think you have beautiful eyes. I love them.'"
"What is it?" cried Cummins interestedly. "Read on, Jan."
"Don't!" commanded Melisse, springing to her feet and running around
the table.
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