‘I have not reproached you,’ she said, ’because I thought it would be mean in case you had not done it; but it seems that you must have done it.  Won’t you tell me where the other man has taken our things?  They cannot be of any value to you compared with their value to us; and, oh, indeed I would much rather give you as much money as you could possibly make out of them, and more too, if you would only tell me which way this man has gone, and send word to him that he must give them back!  I will pledge you my word of honour that——­’

For the first time he was offended with her.  He stepped back with a gesture of pride, which in a moment he saw she had construed into unwillingness to give the booty up.

’I could promise to give you the money; I could promise that you should not be tracked and arrested.  I have enough in the savings-bank of my own that I could get out without our lawyer or mamma knowing, and you don’t know how dear, how very dear, everything that belonged to father is to Eliz and me.  If you wait here tied until my stepmother comes she will not give any money to get the things back; she would not care if you kept them, so long as she could punish you.’

Every word of her gentle pleading made the insult deeper and more gross, and the fact that she was who she was only made the hurt to his pride the sorer.  He would not answer; he would not explain; he would let her think what she liked; it is the way of the injured heart.

Angry, and confirmed in her suspicion, she too turned proudly away.  He saw her, as she crossed the hall, take up a pair of snow-shoes that she had left leaning against the wall, and without further farewell to any one turn toward the front door.

He knew then what he must do.  Without inward debate, without even weighing what his act’s ultimate consequences might be, he followed her.

’I will do what you ask.  I give you my word of honour—­and there is honour, you know, even among thieves—­that I will do all in my power to bring back everything that has been stolen.  Give me snow-shoes.  Keep my horse and my watch and my luggage as surety that I mean what I say.  I cannot promise that I can get back the silver from the other man, but I will do far more than you can do.  I will do more than any one else could do.  If it is within my power I will bring it back to you.’

She considered for a little time whether she would trust him or not.  It seemed, curiously enough, that from first to last she had never distrusted her first instinct with regard to his character, but that her child-like belief that in the unknown world all things were possible, allowed her to believe also in his criminality.  Now that he had, as she thought, made his confession and promised restitution, it was perhaps the natural product of her conflicting thoughts and feelings that she should trust to his oft-repeated vows, and make the paction with him.