ty days, and unless
he set out well provided with food he would starve before accomplishing
half the distance, and his death would leave her worse off than before.
He concluded by affirming that he could not start in less time than
seven or eight days.

For a while I listened with keen interest to this dispute, and at
length interposed once more on the old man's side. The poor girl in her
petition had unwittingly revealed to me the power I possessed, and it
was a pleasing experience to exercise it. Touching her shoulder again, I
assured her that seven or eight days was only a reasonable time in which
to prepare for so long a journey. She instantly yielded, and after
one glance at my face, she moved swiftly away into the darker shadows,
leaving me alone with the old man.

As we returned together through the now profoundly dark wood, I
explained to him how the subject of Riolama had first come up during my
conversation with Rima, and he then apologized for the violent language
he had used to me. This personal question disposed of, he spoke of the
pilgrimage before him, and informed me in confidence that he intended
preparing a quantity of smoke-dried meat and packing it in a bag, with
a layer of cassava bread, dried pumpkin slips, and such innocent trifles
to conceal it from Rima's keen sight and delicate nostrils. Finally he
made a long rambling statement which, I vainly imagined, was intended to
lead up to an account of Rima's origin, with something about her people
at Riolama; but it led to nothing except an expression of opinion that
the girl was afflicted with a maggot in the brain, but that as she had
interest with the powers above, especially with her mother, who was
now a very important person among the celestials, it was good policy to
submit to her wishes. Turning to me, doubtless to wink (only I missed
the sign owing to the darkness), he added that it was a fine thing to
have a friend at court. With a little gratulatory chuckle he went on to
say that for others it was necessary to obey all the ordinances of the
Church, to contribute to its support, hear mass, confess from time to
time, and receive absolution; consequently those who went out into the
wilderness, where there were no churches and no priests to absolve them,
did so at the risk of losing their souls. But with him it was different:
he expected in the end to escape the fires of purgatory and go directly
in all his uncleanness to heaven--a thing, he r