"And you dared to come to the dance? We must go. Look, there are horses! We"ll ride off into the mountains, and they"ll never find us--we"ll--"
"Hush! One day"s riding would kill you--riding as I ride."
"I"m strong--very strong, and the love of you, Pierre, will give me more strength. But quickly, for if they knew you, every man in that place would come armed and ready to kill. I know, for I"ve heard them talk. Tell me, are one-half of all the terrible things they say--"
"They are true, I guess."
"I won"t think of them. Whatever you"ve done, it was not you, but some devil that forced you on. Pierre, I love you more than ever. Will you go East with me, and home? We will lose ourselves in New York. The millions of the crowd will hide us."
"Mary, there are some men from whom even the night can"t hide me. If they were blind their hate would give them eyes to find me."
"Pierre, you are not turning away from me--Pierre--There"s some ghost of a chance for us. Will you take that chance and come with me?"
He thought of many things, but what he answered was: "I will." "Then let"s go at once. The railroad--"
"Not that way. No one in that house suspects me now. We"ll go back and put on our masks again, and--hush. What"s there?"
"Nothing."
"There is--a man"s step."
And she, seeing the look on his face, covered her eyes in horror. When she looked up a great form was looming through the dark, and then the voice of Wilbur came, hard and cold.
"I"ve looked everywhere for you. Miss Brown, they are anxious about you in the schoolhouse. Will you go back?"
"No--I--"
But Pierre commanded: "Go back."
So she turned, and he ordered again: "I think our friend has something to say to me. You can find your way easily. Tomorrow--"
"Tomorrow, Pierre?"
"Yes."
"I shall be waiting."
With what a voice she said it! And then she was gone.
He turned quietly to big d.i.c.k Wilbur, on whose contorted face the moonlight fell.
"Say it, d.i.c.k, and have it out in cursing me, if that"ll help."
The big man stood with his hands gripped behind, fighting for self-control.
"Pierre, I"ve cared for you more than I"ve cared for any other man.
I"ve thought of you like a kid brother. Now tell me that you haven"t done this thing, and I"ll believe you rather than my senses. Tell me you haven"t stolen the girl I love away from me; tell me--"
"I love her, d.i.c.k."
"d.a.m.n you! And she?"
"She"ll forget me; G.o.d knows I hope she"ll forget me." "I brought two guns with me. Here they are."
He held out the weapons.
"Take your choice."
"Does it have to be this way?"
"If you"d rather have me shoot you down in cold blood?"
"I suppose this is as good a way as any."
"What do you mean?"
"Nothing. Give me a gun."
"Here. This is ten paces. Are you ready?"
"Yes."
"Pierre. G.o.d forgive you for what you"ve done. She liked me, I know.
If it weren"t for you, I would have won her and a chance for real life again--but now--d.a.m.n you!"
"I"ll count to ten, slowly and evenly. When I reach ten we fire?"
"Yes."
"I"ll trust you not to beat the count, d.i.c.k."
"And I you. Start."
He counted quietly, evenly: "One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine--ten!"
The gun jerked up in the hand of Wilbur, but he stayed the movement with his finger pressing still upon the trigger. The hand of Pierre had not moved.
He cried: "By G.o.d, Pierre, what do you mean?"
There was no answer. He strode across the intervening s.p.a.ce, dropped his gun and caught the other by the shoulders. Out of Pierre"s nerveless fingers the revolver slipped to the ground.
"In the name of G.o.d, Pierre, what has happened to you?"
"d.i.c.k, why didn"t you fire?"
"Fire? Murder you?"
"You shoot straight--I know--it would have been over quickly."