"It must be one o'clock, and I'm tired," replied the outlaw, with a
yawn.
"All your former acts," continued Capitola, in the same voice of awful
calmness, "have been those of a bold, bad man! This act would be that
of a base one!"
"Take care, girl--no bad names! You are in my power--at my mercy!"
"I know my position, but I must continue. Hitherto you have robbed mail
coaches and broken into rich men's houses. In doing thus you have
always boldly risked your life, often at such fearful odds that men
have trembled at their firesides to hear of it. And even women, while
deploring your crimes, have admired your courage."
"I thank 'em kindly for it! Women always like men with a spice of the
devil in them!" laughed the outlaw.
"No, they do not!" said Capitola, gravely. "They like men of strength,
courage and spirit--but those qualities do not come from the Evil One,
but from the Lord, who is the giver of all good. Your Creator, Donald,
gave you the strength, courage and spirit that all men and women so
much admire; but He did not give you these great powers that you might
use them in the service of his enemy, the devil!"
"I declare there is really something in that! I never thought of that
before."
"Nor ever thought, perhaps, that however misguided you may have been,
there is really something great and good in yourself that might yet be
used for the good of man and the glory of God!" said Capitola,
solemnly.
"Ha, ha, ha! Oh, you flatterer! Come, have you done? I tell you it is
after one o'clock, and I am tired to death!"
"Donald, in all your former acts of lawlessness your antagonists were
strong men; and as you boldly risked your life in your depredations,
your acts, though bad, were not base! But now your antagonist is a
feeble girl, who has been unfortunate from her very birth; to destroy
her would be an act of baseness to which you never yet descended."
"Bosh! Who talks of destruction? I am tired of all this nonsense! I
mean to carry you off and there's an end of it!" said the outlaw,
doggedly, rising from his seat.
"Stop!" said Capitola, turning ashen pale. "Stop--sit down and hear me
for just five minutes--I will not tax your patience longer."
The robber, with a loud laugh, sank again into his chair, saying: "Very well, talk on for just five minutes, and not a single second
longer; but if you think in that time to persuade me to leave this room
to-night without you, you are widely out of your reckoning, my duck,
that's all."