me price of death. His promises, breathed at her bedside of
unwavering care, unfaltering devotion, unfailing happiness for the wee
baby in the years to come--how had he kept them? Poverty, distress,
privation. With such commodities had he redeemed those promises, and,
finally, had driven the girl, naturally as sweet-souled as an angel,
as pure as the new-fallen snow, to vulgar crime to satisfy, no doubt,
those girlish and quite natural desires which it should have been his
duty and his pleasure to provide for. Oh, he had done well with life!
The soul within him writhed in agony as he reflected on the use which
he had made of it. His heart went sick from shame. And--what would
Anna do without him?

"Ah, yes, Madame; I see," said he. "I see. Society must be protected
from such folk as I. Yes; that is very clear indeed. We menace it. The
place for us is where stone walls surround us--to protect society;
locks hold us--to protect society; death comes quickly to us--to
protect society. I see all that, Madame. I will go to prison as a
punishment, of course. But you will let me see my Anna for a
moment--you will let me say goodbye to Anna? She is here, in the next
room. I had hoped, you see, that I could make you think that prison
was not necessary; I had hoped that I could fool you into thinking
that I was not, very much, a danger to society. But you have found me
out. You realize how terrible I am. When I thought that I could fool
you I had her go to the next room, so that, perhaps, she might know
nothing of it. Now, of course, she will know all, but--you will let me
say goodbye to her? You will wait for me, out here?"

Mrs. Vanderlyn was not too willing, but, as she thought of it, it
seemed quite safe, and she could tell her friends, she rapidly
reflected, that she had been swayed by irresistible impulse of mercy.
That would sound well, told dramatically.

"I suppose so," she said grudgingly. "But any attempt at escape will
be useless. You--"

He looked at her with a sad dignity.

"I shall not try to escape," he said. "I only ask that if it can be
done, as long as it may be possible to do it, my Anna shall not know
about my sin, discovery, disgrace. Let her think, please, Madame, if
you will, that I have gone on a long journey."

This, too, she granted grudgingly. "Oh, very well, if you imagine such
things _can_ be hidden. I won't tell her. Just as you wish."

"You will wait here for me while I say goodbye to her?"