Here, then, he flung himself down to rest, and soon buried himself among thoughts of the most exciting kind.  The scene which he had just left was fresh in his mind, and amidst all the fury of that strife there rose most prominent in his memory the form of the two ladies, Minnie standing calm and unmoved, while Mrs. Willoughby was convulsed with agitated feeling.  What was the cause of that?  Could it be possible that his wife had indeed contrived such a plot with the Italian?  Was it possible that she had chosen this way of striking two blows, by one of which she could win her Italian, and by the other of which she could get rid of himself, her husband?  Such had been his conjecture during the fury of the fight, and the thought had roused him up to his Berserker madness; but now, as it recurred again, he saw other things to shake his full belief.  Her agitation seemed too natural.

Yet, on the other hand, he asked himself, why should she not show agitation?  She was a consummate actress.  She could show on her beautiful face the softness and the tenderness of an angel of light while a demon reigned in her malignant heart.  Why should she not choose this way of keeping up appearances?  She had betrayed her friends, and sought her husband’s death; but would she wish to have her crime made manifest?  Not she.  It was for this, then, that she wept and clung to the child-angel.

Such thoughts as these were not at all adapted to give comfort to his mind, or make his rest refreshing.  Soon, by such fancies, he kindled anew his old rage, and his blood rose to fever heat, so that inaction became no longer tolerable.  He had rest enough.  He started up, and looked all around, and listened attentively.  No sound arose and no sight appeared which at all excited suspicion.  He determined to set forth once more, he scarcely knew where.  He had a vague idea of finding his way back to the road, so as to be able to assist the ladies, together with another idea, equally ill defined, of coming upon the brigands, finding the Italian, and watching for an opportunity to wreak vengeance upon this assassin and his guilty partner.

He drew his knife once more from a leathern sheath on the inside of the breast of his coat, into which he had thrust it some time before, and holding this he set forth, watchfully and warily.  On the left side of the precipice the ground sloped down, and at the bottom of this there was a narrow valley.  It seemed to him that this might be the course of some spring torrent, and that by following its descent he might come out upon some stream.  With this intention he descended to the valley, and then walked along, following the descent of the ground, and keeping himself as much as possible among the thickest growths of the trees.