She listened a moment for his step; then, apparently

satisfied, turned back toward St. Agatha's. I followed,

uncertain, hesitating, marking her definite onward

flight. From the folds of the cloak stole the faint perfume

of violets. The sight of her, the sound of her

voice, combined to create-and to destroy!-a mood

with every step.

I was seeking some colorless thing to say when she

spoke over her shoulder: "You are very kind, but I am not in the least afraid,

Mr. Glenarm."

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"But there is something I wish to say to you. I

should like-"

She slackened her step.

"Yes."

"I am going away."

"Yes; of course; you are going away."

Her tone implied that this was something that had

been ordained from the beginning of time, and did not

matter.

"And I wish to say a word about Mr. Pickering."

She paused and faced me abruptly. We were at the

edge of the wood, and the school lay quite near. She

caught the cloak closer about her and gave her head a

little toss I remembered well, as a trick compelled by the

vagaries of woman's head-dress.

"I can't talk to you here, Mr. Glenarm; I had no intention

of ever seeing you again; but I must say this-"

"Those notes of Pickering's-I shall ask Mr. Glenarm

to give them to you-as a mark of esteem from me."

She stepped backward as though I had struck her.

"You risked much for them-for him"-I went on.

"Mr. Glenarm, I have no intention of discussing that,

or any other matter with you-"

"It is better so-"

"But your accusations, the things you imply, are unjust,

infamous!"

The quaver in her voice shook my resolution to deal

harshly with her.

"If I had not myself been a witness-" I began.

"Yes; you have the conceit of your own wisdom, I

dare say."

"But that challenge to follow you, to break my pledge;

my running away, only to find that Pickering was close

at my heels; your visit to the tunnel in search of those

notes,-don't you know that those things were a blow

that hurt? You had been the spirit of this woodland to

me. Through all these months, from the hour I watched

you paddle off into the sunset in your canoe, the thought

of you made the days brighter, steadied and cheered me,

and wakened ambitions that I had forgotten-abandoned

-long ago. And this hideous struggle here,-it seems

so idle, so worse than useless now! But I'm glad I followed

you,-I'm glad that neither fortune nor duty kept

me back. And now I want you to know that Arthur

Pickering shall not suffer for anything that has happened.

I shall make no effort to punish him; for your

sake he shall go free."




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