At last her terror found utterance in a deep-drawn moan.
"Oh! come back! Please come back! I am sure you will be killed! It is horrible! Do come back!"
While she was still entreating and commanding the handsome, careless face arose above the surface again, and, with slow, cautious movements, the stranger, with the recovered sunshade in his hand, was beside her.
Violet drew a long breath of relief, and then, with a smile that was better than all the thanks in the world, said:
"I won't thank you, for I think you were more foolish than even I. You said it was dangerous to look over, and you actually went over! And all for this stupid, worthless thing." And she shook the sunshade with annoyance.
"Not altogether for the sunshade," said the gentleman, smiling again. "But I am glad I have got it for you, and I assure you the danger was less than I at first imagined it; indeed, for me there was no danger. I am blessed with a steady nerve, and have had some experience in mountaineering."
Violet looked down, and then up at his calm face.
"It was very good and kind of you," she said, "and I will thank you, after all, I think." Then she made a movement, which he took in intimation that he might say good-day, and, accordingly, he raised his hat--or, rather, would have done so, had not the wind saved him the trouble.
"How provoking!" said Violet, looking after the hat, as it sailed over the cliff, in imitation of the sunshade. "I am afraid there is a fatality about this spot. I do hope you will not go down after it, too!"
"No, indeed!" he said, with a light, pleasant laugh; "my hat is really of no consequence----"
"Oh! but of more than my parasol! You have nothing to protect your head, and the sun is quite as hot as it was five minutes ago." And she smiled naïvely.
"True," he said. "But my head is used to scorching; in fact, rather likes it."
"You must take my sunshade," said Violet, with provoking gravity.
"No, thank you," he said, imitating the gravity and suppressing the smile. "I do not dread the sunstroke, and I have but a few steps to go," nodding to the blazing Cedars.
Violet was guilty of an unmistakable start.
"The Cedars!" she exclaimed, extending her beautiful eyes to their widest, "but you are not----" and she paused as if absolutely too astonished to conclude the sentence.