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Should he drive quietly on and leave them sleeping there?
A thousand feet above
them the windfrom Italy raved over the crest of the pass. Her position as lay
portress was hereditary.
He ground his teeth at the thought of explainingaway
his honour.
Travellers at this season of the year hadbeen known to set out by
this road and to fail fatally. The straight lines of the stone walls continued
forsome distance. A red darkness like a shadowon his face began to fade. Where
a waterfall could be heardroaring below they hurled down the heavy luggage.
Whether he was religious or only fundamentally superstitious mightprovide
matter for argument.
The road through the forestwas bad and the darkness of a
moonless midnight engulfed it.
His name is Denis, she whispered, and wentlimp.
Forsome minutes Don Luis listened intently. In the meantime he had bothprivate
and diplomatic affairs to settle before leaving Italy. The bar of it remained
for some seconds as ifsuspended in darkness. In short, his conscience was a
code of honour tempered bysome fear of the supernatural. Lucia wassleeping
deeply, her face marked with the heavy lines of sadfatigue. He raised his own
arm, unconsciously now that of a chargingcavalryman wielding a sabre. Don Luis
leaned back and closed his eyes. He was still riding as he had been for
manymonths before, completely in the dark.
At the last Denis was not quitequick
enough in recovering. The statue of the Virgin came forth from the black
bagagain.
Without imitating Nero he could not getrid of that which he hated and
retain what he desired. In theother room the candles still burned at the foot
of Marias bed. Mariabegan to utter at more and more frequent intervals a
sharpspasmodic cry. In theother room the candles still burned at the foot of
Marias bed.
He went to the bed andheld the lantern over Maria.
At evening the
longclouds draped themselves against the massif and crept down into thevalley.
He raised his own arm, unconsciously now that of a chargingcavalryman wielding
a sabre. He closed it,and avoiding giving it the slightest jar, tiptoed to the
door.
Sancho had given them hay andtheir usual morning bawling was stayed.
Of
its presentfinancial condition he was not aware.
Her position as lay portress
was hereditary.
He gavethe order and headed directly over the best roads for
the pass. Slowly thecoach struggled around a huge buttress onto another
incline.
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