To the surprise of Deerslayer, Judith seemed the most distressed,
Hetty listening eagerly, but appearing to brood over the facts
in melancholy silence, rather than betraying any outward signs of
feeling. The former's agitation, the young man did not fail to
attribute to the interest she felt in Hurry, quite as much as to
her filial love, while Hetty's apparent indifference was ascribed
to that mental darkness which, in a measure, obscured her intellect,
and which possibly prevented her from foreseeing all the consequences.
Little was said, however, by either, Judith and her sister busying
themselves in making the preparations for the morning meal, as they
who habitually attend to such matters toil on mechanically even
in the midst of suffering and sorrow. The plain but nutritious
breakfast was taken by all three in sombre silence. The girls
ate little, but Deerslayer gave proof of possessing one material
requisite of a good soldier, that of preserving his appetite in
the midst of the most alarming and embarrassing circumstances. The
meal was nearly ended before a syllable was uttered; then, however,
Judith spoke in the convulsive and hurried manner in which feeling
breaks through restraint, after the latter has become more painful
than even the betrayal of emotion.
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