e himself, with many earnest pleadings,
in the early days of their engagement; the other, torn from her
husband's temples before they were cold. The long light brown tress was
scarcely more soft and satin-smooth than the chestnut curl; but one end
of the last was matted, and discolored by a dark rusty stain--the stain
that, the Greek poet said, all the rivers of earth flowing in one
channel could never wash away--the testimony, to our ears mute enough
now, but which, perhaps, will make itself heard above the Babel of all
other cries at the Day of Judgment.

The two tokens were twined together lovingly, as if they were sensitive
and conscious still. Bruce plucked them asunder: "I never can keep them
apart," he said, querulously. Then he put them back into the case
separately, and began to mutter to himself many words that I could not
distinguish.

"Have you any thing more to say?" Livingstone asked. His lips were rigid
and compressed like a steel-trap, opening and closing mechanically. As
he spoke, he snatched the leathern bag from Bruce's hand and threw it
into the blazing fire.

A sharp howl, like a flogged hound's, broke from the sick man as he saw
his treasure shrivel up in the flame. Then he began to whimper out all
sorts of incoherent supplications, crying "that we did not know how much
he had suffered before he killed Forrester, and since too; that he had
been cruelly used from the beginning; that he was very, very ill now;
would not we let him die in peace?" The tears were streaming down his
face. It was a sight of abasement that sent a shiver through one's
veins.

Guy laid his hand on the miserable creature's shoulder. Though he
scarcely touched it, I saw the great muscles starting out on his arm
like ropes from the intensity of his suppressed emotion; his lower lip
trembled, but his tones did not in the least. I can give no idea of
their pitiless, deliberate ferocity.

"Listen!" he said. "I told you before to get up and come with us--that
is my answer now. If you have life enough left to be carried to the
gallows-foot, you shall never cheat the hangman."

Bruce looked up into the speaker's face for some moments. Gradually the
agonized appeal in his wild eyes died away into vacancy; an expression,
half cunning, half amused, stole over his face; and, leaning gently
back, he began pulling threads out of the coverlet, laughing low.

The blood gushed from Guy's clenched hand as he struck it furiously
agains