ace from which all fear had fled, a face which, by its suggestive
power, compelled him to realize the absolute despair clutching now at
his own soul, and against which he was fighting wildly, hopelessly. It
was lying in wait for him, With hideous patience, in the coming watches
of the night. Perhaps he read in the face of this woman whom he had
condemned to suffer all degradation, and over whom he was now powerless,
something which would ultimately save her from the hell now yawning for
him; a redeeming element in her grief of which she herself were not
as yet conscious, a light shining in the darkness of her soul which in
eternity would become luminous. And he saw no light for him--He thrashed
in darkness. He had nothing, now, to give, no power longer to deprive.
She had given all she possessed, the memorial of her kind which would
outlast monuments.

It was Alison who crossed the room swiftly. She laid her hand
protectingly on Kate Marcy's shoulder, and stooped, and kissed her. She
turned to her father.

"It is her right," she said. "He belonged to her, not to us. And we must
take her home with us.

"No," answered Kate Marcy' "I don't want to go. I wouldn't live," she
added with unexpected intensity, "with him."

"You would live with me," said Alison.

"I don't want to live!" Kate Marcy got up from the chair with an energy
they had not thought her to possess, a revival of the spirit which had
upheld her when she had contended, singly, with a remorseless world. She
addressed herself to Eldon Parr. "You took him from me, and I was a fool
to let you. He might have saved me and saved himself. I listened to you
when you told me lies as to how it would ruin him.... Well,--I had him
you never did."

The sudden, intolerable sense of wrong done to her love, the swift anger
which followed it, the justness of her claim of him who now lay in the
dignity of death clothed her--who in life had been crushed and blotted
out--with a dignity not to be gainsaid. In this moment of final
self-assertion she became the dominating person in the room, knew for
once the birthright of human worth. They watched her in silence as she
turned and gave one last, lingering look at the features of the dead;
stretched out her hand towards them, but did not touch them... and then
went slowly towards the door. Beside Alison she stopped.

"You are his sister?" she said.

"Yes."

She searched Alison's face, wistfully.

"I could have loved you."