Earth! he that has such
marrow--such blood in his veins--such a will--such an unconquerable
will--he can begin a new life: he can be born again. Bertram, do not
mock me when I tell you--passionate love has crazed my wits. See, here
is a handkerchief of hers! For _her_ sake do I curse my former life;
for her sake, I would sink its memory into the depths of ocean! Oh that
I _could_! that all the waters of the ocean could cleanse this hand!
that I could come up from the deep sea as pure though I were as
helpless as an infant! Once upon a dreadful night--But stop! what was
that? Did you hear no whispering from below? Once upon a dreadful
night----: Steps go there! hush! hush!"

Bertram's companion here suddenly drew his cloak from his
shoulders--rolled it up under his arm--caught his coat-skirts under both
arms--and stood with head and body bent forwards, whilst his eyes seemed to
search and traverse the dark piles of building from which they had
issued; his attitude was that of a stag, that, with pointed ears and
with fore-feet rising for a bound, is looking to the thicket from which
the noise issues that has startled him. Bertram too threw his eyes over
the walls as far as he could to the lower part of the ruins; and
remarked that, if any hostile attack were made, they should be without
deliverance; they were shut in; and no egress remained except that
which would be pre-occupied by their assailants.

"I believe I was mistaken," said Nicholas, drawing his breath again,
just as Bertram fancied he saw a stirring of the shadow which lay
within the gateway at the further end. He was on the point of
communicating what he observed to the other, when suddenly a shot was
fired. In that same instant Nicholas had thrown his cloak into the
abyss; and without a word spoken ran straight, with an agility and
speed that thunderstruck Bertram, to the archway; from which figures of
armed men were now seen to issue apparently with the intention of
intercepting the fugitive. Bertram now expected to see a struggle,
as Nicholas was running right into the mouth of the danger. But
in the midst of his quickest speed he checked--turned to the left
about--leaped down with the instinctive agility of a chamois upon the
wall below, which, bisecting the inner court, connected the main wall
with the outer, and then ran along upon the narrow ridge of this inner
wall, interrupted as it was by holes and loose stones. At every instant
Bertram expected to