."

"You mean--that she is, that you are--oh! impossible! You mean--what
do you mean? Not that you are married to her?"

Extreme agony and repulsion gave shrillness to Ringfield's voice. To
have met and loved, to have coveted and dreamed of that warm, imperious
yet womanly presence, and to hear this dreadful truth concerning
her--if it were the truth.

"Well, you've guessed it. Yes, married to her, by heaven!" said
Crabbe, and he lurched forward and fell.

Ringfield saw and heard him fall, but he was already out of the shack
and speeding through the forest paths; dim arcades of larch and pine
met over his head while upon the river and the great Fall were stealing
long bars of bright silvery light from the level sun. Soon the silver
would mellow to gold as the daily marvel of the sunset was
accomplished, but Ringfield was beyond such matters now. Nature could
do no more for him in this crisis than it had done for Edmund Crabbe,
and the virginity, the silence and fragrance of the noble wood, brought
him no solace. Yet as he sped he could not choose but breathe and the
air filled his breast and then fed his mind so that presently coming
upon a glade or opening in which was a large slab of grey lichened rock
he lay down at length to think. And that Nature which could do nothing
for him spiritually in this hour of trial conspired to comfort and
restore him physically. He could not pray. His accustomed resources
had failed him; instead, as it grew quite dark around, he fell asleep.

CHAPTER VIII

THE "PIC"

"How dreadful the dominion of the impure!"

The September days gave place to October ones and still Miss Clairville
remained away. The tourists had departed and Ringfield could judge
more accurately of the mental and moral status of the countryside. The
congregation of Sunday scarcely numbered two score, but Amable
Poussette and wife were always present and the rule seemed to be that
any who had tired of Father Rielle came to Ringfield whether they
understood him or not; poor Catholics were thus in danger of becoming
even worse Methodists, and he exerted all his faculties and talents in
general directions concerning conduct and character. The beautiful
skies and water, the rocks and great Fall, were as impressive as
before, but they no longer filled so much space in the mind of the
young preacher, who now saw all things in the visible universe from the
standpoint and through the jaundiced e