"Take my hand again. Pierre, what has happened? What have I done?
What have I said?"

CHAPTER XXIII

THE FEAR OF THE LIVING

But he only stared gravely up to her with such a sorrow that her heart
went cold.

"Nothing--but I've remembered."

"What?"

"It's the cross. It brings luck and bad fortune together. Mary, I'll
throw it away, now--and then--no, it makes no difference. We are done
for."

"Pierre!"

"Don't you see, Mary, or are you still blind as I was ever since I saw
you tonight? It's all in that name--Pierre."

"There nothing in it, Pierre, that I don't love."

He rose, and she with him. His head was bowed as if with the weight of
the doom which he foresaw.

"You have heard of the wild men of the mountains, and the long-riders?"

He knew that she nodded, though she could not speak.

"I am Red Pierre."

"_You_!"

"Yes."

Yet he had the courage to raise his head and watch her shrink with
horror. It was only an instant. Then she was beside him again, and
one arm around him, while she turned her head and glanced fearfully
back at the lighted schoolhouse. The faint music mocked them.

"And you dared to come to the dance? We must go. Look, there are
horses! We'll ride off into the mountains, and they'll never find
us--we'll----"

"Hush! One day's riding would kill you--riding as I ride."

"I'm strong---very strong, and the love of you, Pierre, will give me
more strength. But quickly, for if they knew you, every man in that
place would come armed and ready to kill. I know, for I've heard them
talk. Tell me, are one-half of all the terrible things they say----"

"They are true, I guess."

"I won't think of them. Whatever you've done, it was not you, but some
devil that forced you on. Pierre, I love you more than ever. Will you
go East with me, and home? We will lose ourselves in New York. The
millions of the crowd will hide us."

"Mary, there are some men from whom even the night can't hide me. If
they were blind their hate would give them eyes to find me."

"Pierre, you are not turning away from me--Pierre!"

"God help me."

"He will. There's some ghost of a chance for us. Will you take that
chance and come with me?"

He thought of many things, but what he answered was: "I will."

"Then let's go at once. The railroad----"

"Not that way. No one in that house suspects me now. We'll go back
and put on our masks again, and--hush, what's there?"