Читать книгу The Coward - Robert Hugh Benson - Страница 24

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The exultation that came on him as he swung his way downwards at last, and dropped on to the shingle an hour later, was proportionate to his bad moment on the way up.

It seemed to him he had done extraordinarily well. Certainly he had had a horrible instant; but he had shown no signs of it, and that was exactly what courage meant. He had done, in fact, a good deal better than Austin, since Austin, through hearing what was said and doing it exactly, had had no real difficulty at all. Himself, on the other hand, had got into trouble, and had emerged from it triumphant.

There was a good deal of excuse for this exultation. The superb air in which he had climbed was like wine to his heart; his muscles had been exercised to the full. Besides, he had, actually, at his first attempt, succeeded in what really was rock-climbing, after all. Even Armstrong had implied that it was a good deal to do, after the morning walk from Zermatt.

“I thought you always put on the rope for the sky-line of the Riffelhorn,” he said to Tom as they swung homewards.

“Most people do. I’ve done it without, though.”

“I’m glad we didn’t.”

“Eh?”

“I’m glad we didn’t,” explained Val.

“That wasn’t the sky-line we did.”

“But——”

“Good Lord, no; that’s the ladies’ way. All except the bit of wall where you were shoved.”

“And that’s the easiest way?” said Val, with sinking heart.

“Of course, my dear chap. Armstrong thought we’d better not try the sky-line till you’d seen what you could do.”

“Oh!”

“There was a pause. Then Val put the question he had longed to put for the last hour.

“And did I ... we ... do pretty well?”

“Oh, yes,” said Tom indifferently.