a
gesture of pride, which in a moment he saw she had construed into
unwillingness to give the booty up.

'I could promise to give you the money; I could promise that you should
not be tracked and arrested. I have enough in the savings-bank of my own
that I could get out without our lawyer or mamma knowing, and you don't
know how dear, how very dear, everything that belonged to father is to
Eliz and me. If you wait here tied until my stepmother comes she will
not give any money to get the things back; she would not care if you
kept them, so long as she could punish you.'

Every word of her gentle pleading made the insult deeper and more gross,
and the fact that she was who she was only made the hurt to his pride
the sorer. He would not answer; he would not explain; he would let her
think what she liked; it is the way of the injured heart.

Angry, and confirmed in her suspicion, she too turned proudly away. He
saw her, as she crossed the hall, take up a pair of snow-shoes that she
had left leaning against the wall, and without further farewell to any
one turn toward the front door.

He knew then what he must do. Without inward debate, without even
weighing what his act's ultimate consequences might be, he followed her.

'I will do what you ask. I give you my word of honour--and there is
honour, you know, even among thieves--that I will do all in my power to
bring back everything that has been stolen. Give me snow-shoes. Keep my
horse and my watch and my luggage as surety that I mean what I say. I
cannot promise that I can get back the silver from the other man, but I
will do far more than you can do. I will do more than any one else could
do. If it is within my power I will bring it back to you.'

She considered for a little time whether she would trust him or not. It
seemed, curiously enough, that from first to last she had never
distrusted her first instinct with regard to his character, but that her
child-like belief that in the unknown world all things were possible,
allowed her to believe also in his criminality. Now that he had, as she
thought, made his confession and promised restitution, it was perhaps
the natural product of her conflicting thoughts and feelings that she
should trust to his oft-repeated vows, and make the paction with him.

She did not consult the Morins; perhaps she knew that she would only
provoke their opposition, or perhaps she knew that they would only be
too glad to get rid of the man