“No, no! it was a wrong as great as the other.”

“Why, they’re even passing remarks about her mother, those that don’t know where you got her,—­saying it was some one you never married, because the book shows your first wife was this one-handed woman here.”

“I know, I know it.  I meant to let her go back at first, but she took hold of me, and her father and mother were both dead.”

“She’s got a grandfather and grandmother, alive and hearty, back at Springfield.”

“She is all that has kept me alive these last years.”

“She’s got to go back to her people now.  She’ll want to bad enough when she knows about this.”

“About this?  Surely you won’t tell her—­”

“Look here now, why not?  What do you expect?”

“But she loves me—­she does—­and she’s all I’ve got.  Man, man! don’t pile it all on me just at the last.”

He was off the bed and on his knees before Follett.

“Don’t put it all on me.  I’ve rounded up my back to the rest of it, but keep this off; please, please don’t.  Let her always think I’m not bad.  Give me that one thing out of all the world.”

He tried to reach the young man’s hand, but was pushed roughly away.

“Don’t do that—­get up—­stop, I tell you.  That ain’t any way to do.  There now!  Lie down again.  What do you want?  I’m not going to leave that ain’t any way to do.  There now!  Lie down again.  What do you want?  I’m not going to leave that girl with you nor with your infernal Church.  You understand that.”

“Yes, yes, I know it.  It was right that you should be the one to come and take her away.  The Lord’s vengeance was well thought out.  Oh, how much more he can make us suffer than you could with your clumsy killings!  She must go, but wait—­not yet—­not yet.  Oh, my God!  I couldn’t stand it to see her go.  It would cut into my heart and leave me to bleed to death.  No, no, no—­don’t!  Please don’t!  Don’t pile it all on me at the last.  The end has come anyway.  Don’t do that—­don’t, don’t!”

“There, there, be still now.”  There was a rough sort of soothing in Follett’s voice, and they were both silent a moment.  Then the young man went on: 

“But what do you expect?  Suppose everything was left to you, Mister.  Come now, you’re trying to talk fair.  Suppose I leave it to you—­only you know you can’t keep her.”

“Yes, it can’t be, but let her stay a little while; let me see her a few times more; let me know she doesn’t think I’m bad; and promise never to tell her all of it.  Let her always think I was a good man.  Do promise me that.  I’d do it for you, Follett.  It won’t hurt you.  Let her think I was a good man.”

“How long do you want her to stay here?—­a week, ten days?”

“It will kill me when she goes!”

“Oh, well, two weeks?”

“That’s good of you; you’re kinder at your age than I was—­I shall die when she goes.”