not to marry till I gave her
leave. I was not in a marrying way myself, but it was damnation to think
of another man possessing her. To spare my sensibilities, she promised
to turn off her prince, and the idea of her doing so made me as happy as
to see a perfect statue shaping itself in the block. You have seen how
she kept her promise! When I learned it, it was as if the statue had
suddenly cracked and turned hideous. She died for me, like that!" And
he snapped his fingers. "Was it wounded vanity, disappointed desire,
betrayed confidence? I am sure I don't know; you certainly have some
name for it."

"The poor girl did the best she could," said Rowland.

"If that was her best, so much the worse for her! I have hardly thought
of her these two months, but I have not forgiven her."

"Well, you may believe that you are avenged. I can't think of her as
happy."

"I don't pity her!" said Roderick. Then he relapsed into silence, and
the two sat watching the colossal figure as it made its way downward
along the jagged silhouette of the rocks. "Who is this mighty man,"
cried Roderick at last, "and what is he coming down upon us for? We are
small people here, and we can't undertake to keep company with giants."

"Wait till we meet him on our own level," said Rowland, "and perhaps he
will not overtop us."

"For ten minutes, at least," Roderick rejoined, "he will have been a
great man!" At this moment the figure sank beneath the horizon line
and became invisible in the uncertain light. Suddenly Roderick said, "I
would like to see her once more--simply to look at her."

"I would not advise it," said Rowland.

"It was her beauty that did it!" Roderick went on. "It was all her
beauty; in comparison, the rest was nothing. What befooled me was to
think of it as my property! And I had made it mine--no one else had
studied it as I had, no one else understood it. What does that stick of
a Casamassima know about it at this hour? I should like to see it just
once more; it 's the only thing in the world of which I can say so."

"I would not advise it," Rowland repeated.

"That 's right, dear Rowland," said Roderick; "don't advise! That 's no
use now."

The dusk meanwhile had thickened, and they had not perceived a figure
approaching them across the open space in front of the house. Suddenly
it stepped into the circle of light projected from the door and windows,
and they beheld little Sam Singleton stopping to stare at them. He