With an effort Smith held himself still, but gave again the heart-broken laugh that appealed more than all else to her woman’s heart. “’Tain’t all that neither, that makes me the most ‘sorry,’ as ye call it.  I tried to go in and out before this people, Mrs. Halsey, loving and serving all alike as a prophet should, but I wouldn’t be human man, no, nor fit to be chosen by God for the honour he’s put upon me, if I didn’t know who amongst us was most worth care and respect, and it’s come to my soul this night, now that I can’t no longer stand between you and all the dangers that beset our people in the wilderness, that I wasn’t right, maybe, to egg on Halsey to take ye away from your happy home, or to make a point as I did, first off, of getting ye converted—­for I was more set on it than I showed at the time.  It’s because ’twas my doing you married, that I’ve come to say this; and I see well enough that ’tain’t love that is between you and Halsey, though you are too tender of him to let him see.”

She made a movement of the head, an effort to show reproving dignity, while in fact taken by surprise, her nerves in distressful panic, she had scarce the power to control herself, none to control him.

He answered her impulse, although he had not looked up to see the gesture.  “Ye haven’t got any call to-night to be offended with me, for I’m worth no more, unless the Lord see fit to lift me up agen, than the paper our bank-notes is written on; and I have just got one more thing to say, then I’m gone.  If there’s any grit in Joseph Smith, and if it pleases God that he’s not going now to his death, he’ll not make another home for himself without providing as good a place for you and the young one.  Ye may depend on it.”

He rose up now. “’Tain’t no use disguising facts; I’m running away, and I’m leaving ye to dangers and privations.  Your money and Halsey’s is gone the way of all the rest, and without me to stop him Halsey will fly in the face of the first persecution that’s within his reach.  If I hadn’t known that there was no chance at all of your coming I’d have asked you and the child to git into Emmar’s waggon; but there’s just this to say, there ain’t a tribulation that can come to you that won’t hurt me, living or dead, more than it can hurt you.”  Then after a pause he added, “Emmar sent her dear love and good-bye to ye.”

He stood still a moment before her in humble attitude, the words of Emma’s tender farewell lingering, as it were, in the air between them.

“Have a care what you do.” (He resumed a more dignified manner of speech.) “It’s borne in upon my mind that great dangers will lie round you.  Tell brother Halsey from me that it is the will of the Lord that he should seek first the safety of his wife and child, and to abide in a place of safety till the child be grown.”

He climbed through the window.  His last act was to close the casement behind him to save her trembling hands the exertion.  His movements must have been very stealthy, for she did not hear the sound of his steps or the steps of his horse in the silent night.