estness, "can you
help me? Will you? Oh, for the love of--"

Here the priest interrupted her. The lady had spoken in a low voice,
which had a very mournful cadence, and besides this there were signs
of deep emotion in the tremulous tones and the agitated manner. Her
flight had been a long and a hurried one; the exertion had been
severe; her strength had been put forth to the utmost; she was on the
verge of utter exhaustion. Everything in her appearance, voice, and
manner combined to inspire pity and sympathy. The good priest had
seemed not unmoved as she was speaking, and now he interrupted her,
raising his hand, and speaking in a very gentle voice.

"Ah, now," said he, "come--none of that! Do you think me a savage,
that you must pray to me for mercy? Help you!" he repeated, in
stronger tones. "Ay, madame, that will I, and with the last drop of
my heart's-blood and to my life's end. There, is that strong enough?
Help you!"--and he gave a short laugh--"that's good, too! Why, what
else have I been thinking of ever since I met you? What else can you
suppose that I intend to do? Isn't it enough for me to see your
distress? But come--it isn't quite so safe as it might be, and
enemies may be lurking near. We must first find a place of
retirement, where we can decide on what is best to be done."

The tones of the priest's voice were now totally different from those
which he had employed hitherto. These were harsh, dry, indifferent,
almost mocking; but now they were full of sincere feeling and
unmistakable truth. Their effect upon the lady was very marked and
strong. She clasped her hands, bowed her head, and in her weakness
was unable to bear up under this new revulsion of feeling; so she
burst into tears and stood there weeping.

At this the priest was not a little embarrassed. For a moment he
seemed about to try to soothe her; but be checked this impulse, and
looked away, whistling softly to himself. After a few moments he went
on, speaking in a gentle voice:

"I've been going along alone easily enough, but now, if you will come
with me, I shall have to make some changes in my plans. You see, two
cannot travel so easily as one; and then you are a lady, and an
English lady too, which in these parts means a wealthy foreigner--an
object of plunder. You, as an English lady, run an amount of risk to
which I, as a Spanish priest, am not at all exposed. So you see we
can no longer remain in so public a place as this high-road