Meanwhile, he walked the room, struggling with contending
emotions--now joy, now rage, now grief. He said nothing till I mentioned
Hallet's connection with the affair; then he spoke, and his words came
like the rushing of the tornado when it mows down the trees.
'That is the _one_ thing too much. I have held back till now. Now he
_dies_!'
'Don't say that, my son!' exclaimed Kate. 'Leave him to his conscience,
and to GOD. 'Vengeance is mine, I will repay, saith the
LORD!''
'Vengeance is MINE! Don't talk to me mother! I want no sermons
now!'
She looked at him sadly through her tears, and said:
'Have I deserved this of _you_, Frank?'
'Forgive me! forgive me, my mother!' and he buried his face in her
dress, and wept--wept as he never did when a child.
A half hour passed, and no one spoke. Then he rose, and said to me:
'When did you hear from her last?'
'_I_ had a letter yesterday; here it is,' said Kate. 'You see, she is
expecting you.'
He took it, and read it over slowly. All trace of his recent emotion had
gone, and on his face was an expression I had never seen there before.
For the first time I noticed his resemblance to his father!
'When will you go!' continued Kate.
'I don't know. I cannot _now_.'
'Why not _now_? What is there to prevent?'
'I must go home first. I must see Cragin.'
'Cragin does not expect you for a fortnight,' I said; 'you can be back
by that time.'
'But I _cannot_ go now!' and again he rose, and walked the room.
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