PATRICIA RAE !torrents of rain or the debris. Victims of the hurricaneswept past， thudded against his side or lay sprawled onsome disintegrating raft in death， or clinging， and be hadno strength to help them. Not any more. Beth. He should never have brought her here， to thisisland. He should never have yielded to his desire tospeak to that blithe spirit the day he first saw her on theStrand. But he had， and now he wondered painfully if shehad been swept away also into the waters of the Gulf， thesea. Oh Lord， not into the raging sea ~ . . She huddled with Melissaand Joe Bob in the upper hallway~ The demon outside shook the house and beat its fist malevolently against the roof， and surely there must be water upon the veranda now. It must be her wicker veranda furniture that pounded so heavily against the house， or one of her beloved palm trees. Elizabeth watched Shad for a time， standing at the bed- room window where he had carried a lantern and placed it， watching fol Richard just in case he came home in the dark. But surely Richard would have stayed at the hospital in its brick and stone safety. Oh dear Lord， she thought asa gust caused the house to creak and groan- and did it just now sway? For a moment she experienced resentment again because the house was not built of brick， for surely brick walls would be more secure against the wind. Yet these people， all these people had chosen the Morrison house in which to take refuge. All these people. This was not tile Galveston she knew， these scores of people huddled together in the second floor hallway