n me and Karen Sabiston. He
had no shadow of right to do so, for I had set my heart on her and
she had given me her promise; and I said then, and I say it now
with death at my elbow, that he had no right to step between me
and Karen. Yet he tried to do that thing, and if it had not been
for the minister I had stabbed him to his false heart. But the
minister bade me do no wrong, because I was of the household of
faith, and a born and baptized child of God, having come--mind
this, David--of generations of his saints. He said if Bele had done
me wrong, wrong would come to Bele, and I would live to see it."

"'Vengeance is Mine; I will repay'," quoted David, in a low voice.
But Liot answered sharply:

"The Lord sends by whom he will send. And it so happened that one
night, as Bele and I were walking together, I knew the hour had come."

"You took not the matter in your own hands surely, father?"

"There was none there but me. I laid no finger on him; he fell into
his own snare. I had said a thousand times--and the Lord had heard me
say it--that if one word of mine would save Bele Trenby from death,
I would not say that one word. Could I break my oath for a child
of the Evil One? Had Bele been of the elect I would have borne
that in mind; but Bele came of bad stock; pirates and smugglers were
his forebears, and the women not to name with the God-fearing--light
and vain women. So I hated Bele, and I had a right to hate him;
and one night, as I walked from Quarf to Lerwick, Bele came to my
side and said, 'Good evening, Liot.' And I said, 'It is dark,' and
spoke no more. And by and by we came to a stream swollen with rain
and snow-water, and Bele said, 'Here is the crossing.' And I answered
him not, for I knew it was _not_ the crossing. So as I delayed a
little--for my shoe-string was loose--Bele said again, 'Here is the
crossing.' And I told him neither yes nor no. And he said to me,
'It seemeth, Liot, thou art in a devil's temper, and I will stay no
longer with thee.' And with the ill words on his lips he strode
into the stream, and then overhead into the moss he went, and so
to his own place."

"Father, I am feared for a thing like that. There would be sin in it."

"I lifted no finger against him; my lips lied not. It was the working
out of his own sin that slew him."

"I would have warned him--yes, I would. Let me go for the minister;
he will not be feared to say, 'Liot, you did wrong,' if so he thinks."

"I have