y bring her
peace and satisfaction, I will pass out of her life and she shall never
know the great sorrow at my heart. I will not hold her to any promise
she has made to me. She shall be free to choose, and I will not let a
hard thought of her enter my soul."

While Barrington was speaking, Latour had paced the cell slowly. Now he
stopped on the other side of the little table.

"You will do no more?"

"There is nothing more I can do."

"You have thought of the consequences. You have considered my influence,
the power I have to save or to kill you?"

"No, I haven't thought much of that. It doesn't seem to matter."

"You laugh at me."

"That is unworthy of you," Barrington answered. "We are two men in a
tight place, and such men do not laugh at each other. Once you said
that, should we prove to be enemies, it might help us to remember that
we had clasped hands over our wine. Well, is not this the hour to
remember it?"

"One has to forget many things," said Latour.

"True; and we come to a point when we understand how trivial are many of
these things we thought most important," said Barrington. "We are at the
mercy of the world's storms, and we shall surely travel ways we never
set out to travel. I came to France, Latour, burning to fight for an
oppressed people, burning to do something in this land like the Marquis
de Lafayette had done in America. His career there fired my youthful
ambition. I have done nothing. I come to this hour, facing you across
this little table--two men, enemies, yet for all that liking each other
a little, kindred somehow, and strangely bound together in that we both
love the same woman."

Latour was silent for a few moments, the past, the present, and the
future, mingled in his brain in strange confusion.

"Would you see her again?" he asked suddenly.

Barrington did not answer at once. "Let her decide," he said slowly.
"There would be heaven in such a meeting, but there would be hell, too."

"There are tears in your eyes," said Latour.

"Are there?" asked Barrington, simply. "Well, why not?"

Latour turned away quickly. "I will think whether you can see her
again," he said. "It may be difficult. You are weak, I will tell them to
bring you food. You have seen Citizen Mercier, he is looking after you
here. If you are to see mademoiselle, he will tell you. You must do as
he suggests. She shall decide; I promise that."

He went toward the door, then came back again.

"If you s