If the warmth of feeling shown in the interview between Albert and Isa had anything improper in it under the circumstances, Mrs. Ferret knew how to destroy it.  She projected her iceberg presence into the room and froze them both.

Albert had many misgivings that night.  He felt that he had not acted with proper self-control in his interview with Isabel.  And just in proportion to his growing love for Isa did he chafe with the bitterness of the undeserved disgrace that must be an insurmountable barrier to his possessing her.  How should he venture to hope that a woman who had refused Lurton, should be willing to marry him?  And to marry his dishonor besides?

He lay thus debating what he should do, sometimes almost resolved to renounce his scruples and endeavor to win Isa, sometimes bravely determined to leave with Gray in the morning, never to come back to Metropolisville again.  Sleep was not encouraged by the fact that Westcott occupied the bed on the other side of a thin board partition.  He could hear him in that pitiful state of half-delirium that so often succeeds a spree, and that just touches upon the verge of mania-a-potu.

“So he’s out, is he?” Charlton heard him say.  “How the devil did he get out?  Must a swum out, by George!  That’s the only way.  Now her face is goin’ to come.  Always does come when I feel this way.  There she is!  Go ’way!  What do you want?  What do you look at me for?  What makes you look that way?  I can’t help it.  I didn’t drown you.  I had to get out some way.  What do you call Albert for?  Albert’s gone to penitentiary.  He can’t save you.  Don’t look that way!  If you’re goin’ to drown, why don’t you do it and be done with it?  Hey?  You will keep bobbin’ up and down there all night and staring at me like the devil all the time!  I couldn’t help it.  I didn’t want to shake you off.  I would ’ave gone down myself if I hadn’t.  There now, let go!  Pullin’ me down again!  Let go!  If you don’t let go, Katy, I’ll have to shake you off.  I couldn’t help it.  What made you love me so?  You needn’t have been a fool.  Why didn’t somebody tell you about Nelly?  If you’d heard about Nelly, you wouldn’t have—­oh! the devil!  I knew it!  There’s Nelly’s face coming.  That’s the worst of all.  What does she come for?  She a’n’t dead.  Here, somebody!  I want a match!  Bring me a light!”

Whatever anger Albert may have had toward the poor fellow was all turned into pity after this night.  Charlton felt as though he had been listening to the plaints of a damned soul, and moralized that it were better to go to prison for life than to carry about such memories as haunted the dreams of Westcott.  And he felt that to allow his own attachment to Isa Marlay to lead to a marriage would involve him in guilt and entail a lifelong remorse.  He must not bring his dishonor upon her.  He determined to rise early and go over to Gray’s new town, sell off his property, and then leave the Territory.  But the Inhabitant was to leave at six o’clock, and Charlton, after his wakeful night, sank into a deep sleep at daybreak, and did not wake until half-past eight.  When he came down to breakfast, Gray had been gone two hours and a half.