nion. And first I want you to understand I have quite
forgiven him. He's not all to blame. Certain fixed, false ideas he has
got. They were driven into him at his most impressionable age; and until
his reason asserts itself no doubt he'll go on hating me. But that'll
all come right. I don't blame you for it."

"You should blame me all the same," she said. "It's as much me in his
blood as his grandmother at his ear, that turned him to hate you. I
don't hate you now--or anybody, or anything. I've not got strength and
fight in me now to hate, or love either. But I did hate you and I was
full of hate before he was born, and the milk was curdled with hate that
fed him. Now I don't care what happens. I can't prevent the future of my
child from shaping itself. The time for preventing things and doing
things and fixing character and getting self-respect is over and past.
What he's done is the natural result of what was done to him. And
who'll blame him? Who'll blame me for being bad and indifferent--wicked
if you like? Life's made me so--hard--cold to others. But I should have
been different if I'd had love and common justice. So would he. It's
natural in him to hate you; and now the poor little wretch will get what
he deserves--same as his mother did before him, and so all's said. What
we deserved, that's all."

"I don't think so. I'm very willing to fight for him if I can do him
good by fighting. The situation is unusual. You probably do not realise
what this means to me. Is there to be no finality in your resentment?
Honestly I get rather tired of it."

"I got rather tired of it twelve years ago."

"You're not prepared to help me, then, or make any suggestion--for the
child's sake?"

"I'll not help, or hinder. I've been looking on so long now that I'm
only fit to look on. My child has everything against him, and he knows
it; and you can't save him from his fate any more than I can. So what's
the good of wasting time talking as though you could? Fate's
fate--beyond us."

"We make our own fate. I may tell you that I should have been largely
influenced by you, Sabina. The question admits of different answers and
I recognise my responsibility. Some say that I must intervene now and
some say that I should not."

"And the only one not asked to give an opinion is Abel himself. A child
is never asked about his own hopes and fears."

"We know what his hopes were--to burn down the Mill. So we may take it
for the present he's