you like."

For a moment Josephine paused, looking around her at the
surrounding hills. He seemed to catch her thought, and smiled at
her.

"Twenty miles to the nearest house that way, Madam. None at all
that other way. Every path known and guarded by my people. No
paths at all in these hills out yonder. Wild animals in them,
little food in them for man or woman not used to living wild. You
would be helpless in one day, if you tried to get put. We'd find
you before you'd gone five miles. Don't attempt any foolishness
about trying to escape from here. You're mine, I say. I shall not
let you go."

Yet in spite of his savagery, his face softened in the next moment.
"If it could only be in the right way! Look at me, look at you.
You're so very beautiful, I'm so strong. There is only one right
way about it. Oh, woman!

"But come," he resumed with a half sigh, seeking in a rough way to
brush back a wisp of hair from his forehead, to join the tangled
mane upon his crest; "I hate myself as much as you hate me, but
it's your fault--your fault that you are as you are--that you set
me mad. Let's try to forget it for to-night, at least. You're
tired, worn out. I'm almost tired myself, with all this war
between us."

She was silent as they slowly advanced, silent as a prisoner facing
prison doors; but he still went on, arguing.

"Think of what you could do here, how happy we could be here.
Think of what we could do, together. There isn't anything I
wouldn't try to do. Why, I could do _anything_; and I'd bring
everything I got, everything, back to you,--and set it down at your
feet and say, 'I brought you this.' What would I care for it,
alone? What does it mean to me? What glory or success do I want?
Without you, what does all this world, all my life, all I can do,
mean to me after this? I knew long ago I couldn't be happy, but I
didn't know why, I know now what I wanted, all along. I can do
something in the world, I can succeed, I can be somebody now--and
now I want to, want to! Oh, I've lacked so much, I've longed so
much. Some way the world didn't seem made right. I wondered, I
puzzled, I didn't know, I couldn't understand--I thought all the
world was made to be unhappy--but it isn't, it's made for
happiness, for joy, for exultation. Why, I can see it plainly
enough now--all straight out, ahead of me,--all straight ahead of
us two!"

"How like a man you are!" she said slowly. "You seek your