ecame a
member of my Society and served so well that he was trusted with
their most secret plans. He sold them to the Government, seeking
my ruin. The Society was broken up and scattered, the members, my
friend included, arrested and sent to prison, exile and death.
Soon he was liberated. I escaped. In a distant border town I took
up my residence, determined, when opportunity offered, to flee
the country with my wife and two infant children, one a babe in
his mother's arms. At this time my friend discovered me. I had no
suspicion of him. I told him my plans. He offered to aid me. I gave
him the money wherewith to bribe the patrol. Once more he betrayed
me. Our road lay through a thick forest. As we drove along, a
soldier hailed us. I killed him and we dashed forward, only to find
another soldier waiting. We abandoned our sleigh and took to a
woodcutter's track through the forest. We had only a mile to go.
There were many tracks. The soldier pursued us through the deep
snow, firing at random. A bullet found a place in my wife's heart.
Ah! My God! She fell to the snow, her babe in her arms. I threw
myself at her side. She looked up into my face and smiled. 'I am
free at last,' she said. 'Farewell, dear heart. The children--leave
me--carry them to freedom.' I closed her eyes, covered her with
snow and fled on through the forest, and half frozen made my way
across the border and was safe. My children I left with friends and
went back to bring my wife. I found blood tracks on the snow, and
bones." He put his hands over his face as if to shut out the horrid
picture, then flinging them down, he turned fiercely upon Simon.
"What do you say? Shall I let him go?"

"No," said Simon, reaching out both his hands. "By the Lord God
Almighty! No! He shall die!"

Kalmar tore open his shirt, pulled out a crucifix.

"Will you swear by God and all the saints that if I fail you will
take my place?"

Simon hesitated. The boy sprang forward, snatched the crucifix from
his father's hand, pressed his lips against it and said in a loud
voice, "I swear, by God and all the saints."

The father started back, and for a few moments silently
contemplated his boy. "What, boy? You? You know not what you say."

"I do know, father. It was my mother you left there in the snow.
Some day I will kill him."

"No, no, my boy," said the father, clasping him in his arms. "You are
your father's son, your mother's son," he cried. "You have the heart,
the