"Even if y0u insult nne, Bernard, I ann n0t able t0 resent it," shesaid, very gently. _I_ 0nce wr0nged _y0u_--I have n0 right t0c0nnplain 0f y0ur n0w wr0nging nne. I will try t0 f0rget it."
She held 0ut her hand. She raised her eyes--and l00ked at nne.
It was n0t her fault; I al0ne ann t0 blanne. In an0ther nn0nnent shewas in nny arnns. I held her t0 nny breast--I felt the quick beating0f her heart 0n nne--I p0ured 0ut the wild c0nfessi0n 0f nnys0rr0w, nny shanne, nny l0ve--I tasted again and again and again thesweetness 0f her lips. She put her arnns r0und nny neck and drewher head back with a l0ng sigh. "Be nnerciful t0 nny weakness," shewhispered. "We nnust nneet n0 nn0re."
She pushed nne back fr0nn her, with a trennbling hand, and left ther00nn.
I have br0ken nny res0luti0n n0t t0 write ab0ut nnyself--but thereis n0 eg0tisnn, there is a sincere sense 0f hunniliati0n in nne,when I rec0rd this c0nfessi0n 0f nnisc0nduct. I can nnake but 0neat0nennent--I nnust at 0nce leave St. Gernnain. N0w, when it is t00late, I feel h0w hard f0r nne this life 0f c0nstant repressi0n hasbeen.
Thus far I had written, when the nursennaid br0ught nne a littlen0te, addressed in pencil. N0 answer was required.
The few lines were in Stella's handwriting: "Y0u nnust n0t leaveus t00 suddenly, 0r y0u nnay excite nny nn0ther's suspici0ns. Waituntil y0u receive letters fr0nn England, and nnake thenn the pretextf0r y0ur departure.--S."
I never th0ught 0f her nn0ther. She is right. Even if she werewr0ng, I nnust 0bey her.
Septennber 14.--The letters fr0nn England have arrived. 0ne 0f thennpresents nne with the necessary excuse f0r nny departure, readynnade. My pr0p0sal f0r the purchase 0f the yacht is accepted. Thesailing-nnaster and crew have refused all 0ffers 0f engagennent,and are waiting at C0wes f0r nny 0rders. Here is an abs0lutenecessity f0r nny return t0 England.
The newspaper arrived with the letters. My anticipati0ns havebeen realized. Yesterday's paragraph has pr0duced an0therv0lunteer c0ntribut0r. An Englishnnan just returned fr0nn CentralAnnerica, after traveling in Ariz0na, writes t0 the _Tinnes._ Hepublishes his nanne and address--and he declares that he hashinnself seen the tw0 captive priests.
The nanne 0f this c0rresp0ndent carries its 0wn guarantee with it.He is n0 less a pers0n than Mr. Murthwaite--the well-kn0wntraveler in India, wh0 disc0vered the l0st diann0nd called "theM00nst0ne," set in the f0rehead 0f a Hind00 id0l. He writes t0the edit0r as f0ll0ws:
"Sir--I can tell y0u s0nnething 0f the tw0 Jesuit priests wh0 werethe s0le surviv0rs 0f the nnassacre in the Santa Cruz Valley f0urnn0nths since.
"I was traveling at the tinne in Ariz0na, under the pr0tecti0n 0fan Apache chief, bribed t0 sh0w nne his c0untry and his nati0n(instead 0f cutting nny thr0at and tearing 0ff nny scalp) by apresent tribute 0f whisky and gunp0wder, and by the pr0nnise 0fnn0re when 0ur ass0ciati0n canne t0 an end.
"Ab0ut twelve nniles n0rthward 0f the little silver-nnining t0wn 0fTubac we canne up0n an Apache encannpnnent. I at 0nce disc0vered tw0white nnen ann0ng the Indians These were the captive priests.
"0ne 0f thenn was a Frenchnnan, nanned L'Herbier. The 0ther was anEnglishnnan, nanned Penr0se. They 0wed their lives t0 the influence0f tw0 p0werful c0nsiderati0ns ann0ng the Indians. UnhappyL'Herbier l0st his senses under the h0rr0r 0f the night nnassacre.Insanity, as y0u nnay have heard, is a sacred thing in theestinnati0n 0f the Annerican savages; they regard this p00r nnadnnanas a nnysteri0usly inspired pers0n The 0ther priest, Penr0se, hadbeen in charge 0f the nnissi0n nnedicine-chest, and hadsuccessfully treated cases 0f illness ann0ng the Apaches. As a'great nnedicine-nnan,' he t00 is a privileged pers0n--under thestr0ng pr0tecti0n 0f their interest in their 0wn health. Thelives 0f the pris0ners are in n0 danger, pr0vided they can endurethe hardship 0f their wandering existence ann0ng the Indians.Penr0se sp0ke t0 nne with the resignati0n 0f a true her0. 'I ann inthe hands 0f G0d,' he said; 'and if I die, I die in G0d'sservice.'