ge, might be
any age between fifty and seventy. I looked at him steadily for some
time. Somehow his face seemed familiar. I could not call to mind where I
had seen it, however. He had a long gray beard, while his hair was also
long and unkempt. His eyes shone with a wild brilliancy, and he seemed
to be always eagerly watching.

"Thank you for helping me," I said; "it was very good of you."

"Was it?" he replied. "Do you really think it was good of me?"

"It was, indeed," I responded. "I wish I could repay you somehow. Some
time I hope to have the power."

He looked at me eagerly.

"I'm glad you think it was good of me," he said; "so very glad. Will you
tell me something?"

"If I can I will," I replied.

"Do you think it possible that many good deeds--many, many, many--can
atone for wild, bad, murderous actions?"

"God takes everything into account," I replied.

"Do you think He does--do you? I'll tell you something," and he drew
closer to me. "Years ago--long years ago--oh! so long, so long!--well,
say I was a smuggler, a wrecker--oh, what you like! Well, say in
self-defence, in passion, in frenzy, I killed a King's officer--do you
think God will forgive me? And say, too, that since then I've roamed and
roamed, all over the world, always trying to do good deeds, kind
deeds--do you think God takes them into account?"

"I'm sure He does," I answered.

"I only wanted to know your opinion," he replied, as though trying to
speak carelessly. "Of course I only imagined a case, only imagined
it--that's all."

Now this kind of talk set me wondering about the man, and imagining who
he might be. Wildly as he looked, strangely as he spoke, curiously as he
was dressed, he still spoke like an educated man. I watched him as he
continued to cast glances around the cave, and I came to the conclusion
that he was mad. I opened my mouth to ask him questions, but the
remembrance that Eli might be able to tell me what I wanted to know
about the Tresidders restrained me.

"How did you know how to find me?" I asked of Eli. "Tell me everything
that happened since I left you that morning."

Eli, who had continued to look at me all the time I had been speaking to
the stranger, gave a start as I asked the question.

"Wondered why you did'n come back from Fammuth," he grunted, "so I went
and axed 'bout 'ee. Cudden vind out nothin'. Then I beginned to worm
around. I vound out that Neck Trezidder 'ad tould the passon not to cry
th