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Show 38 HICII.\JW JIUIWI~. guilty 1 H ad he not JH'OYokcd- Jmd he not cnn threatened me 1 'J.'hc thot~gh t thnt she was now ttgniu siJOw ing the p:trtiality in It is f';_tvot· ·which lt atl Leon t ltc source of my uuhnppin c~s, ch:wged the tenor of my feelings. My sense of humiliation gave w:ty to oiiCndcd pride, and 1 answe red with sullen defiance. "And am I on ly to blame, .Unry Enstcrby 1 Can you sec fault in no other tlwn me? Mct!Jinks this is Jess th an justice, anrl I may safely deny the authority wlticlt so OIJC.u ly afl'ronts just ice with an a\'O wal of its partinlitics." "I !t.wc no pnrt i:di tics, Richard-it is you th at nrc unjust. 'rho \'iolcncc that I witnessed was only yours. I saw not any other." "There was indignity and insolcncc-Ilrovocnt ion enoug h, Unry E:tstcrby," I r eplied 11asti ly, " if not violence, to justify me in wl1at I did. But I knew not that you Lcl1eld us. I would not else have punisl1ed J ohn linrclis. I would ha,•e borne with his inso lenco-1 would ll:t\'C spared !Jim his shame -if not on his accouut,on yours. I regret that you ktve seeu us, tlwugh I lla\'O no regret for wlw,t I have done." I confroutod my brotl1c1' as I spoke these won1s, ns if to sat. isfy !Jim thnt I was ready to gi,·e him the on ly fOrm of tttono. mcnt wllich I felt his due. H e seemed to understand me, and to do l1im ull just ice, his 110rt was as manly as I could clcsi,·c that of my fh.ther's son to Le at all t im es. J [is eye flnsiled back a family expression of defiance, :mel his lips were closed witl1 a r esolute ness thnt showed l1im toLe fully roused. llut for the presence of 1\lary EasterLy, we had come to the dct1th struggle in that very hour. But we felt ourselves too grently wrong not to acknowledge l1er superiority. V cxcd and su llen as I was, I was doubly vexed with tl10 consciousness of error; and w!Jen she spoke again in answeL· to my last words my cha· grin found due increase in what she said . "I know nothing of tl1e provocation, Uic1Jn.rd, and need notl1· ing to believe that there was Jlrovocation, or tl1at you thought so, which moved you to w!Jat you did . I could not suppose, for an instant, that you would proceed to such violence without provocation; but that any proYocation short of violence itself, will just ify violence - and violence too upon a brother-! can PAHTI.\'(; SCENb'S. 30 not :ltlmi t, llOJ', in you r secret IH'art, ltich:u·d, do you nclmit it yourself. \Vhat would your mother S.'l)', Jlichan], \\'e1·e she to l1ca1· fl1is story 1" "Sl1e might be los,; an;;ry, and less pained, :Mary l~Mterby, tl1an you im:~gi11e, if she k11cw all tl1c story. Jf s!Je knew-l! ut no! why shou ld I •·cconnt hi; vi llauics, Mary l~astcrby, and least of all wl1y recount tl1em to you 1 I ·will not." "~or do 1 wish-nor would [ hear t!Jcm, Uichard," she replied promptly, though gently. I saw the eyes of John liu rdis brighteu, and my soul fe lt full of bitterness. "',Vl1at! you wou ld not believe me, then, .Mary Easterby. Can 1t bo that your prejudices go so far :1s th:tt 1" The tears gathered in l1er eyes as they were fixed upon mino and bel1cld tl1c sarcastic and scornfu l ex1n·ossion in tl1em, but slJo replied wit!1out hesitat ion. "YoLt ilJ·e unjust, a.ncl unkind to me, Uichard ;" and. her voice trcrnhled: sl1e pt·occcdcd :- "I wo>dcl be unwilling to l!clic,·c, and am quite as unwilling to he:u· anyth111g wl11ch cou ld be l'l'('j udi cia! to the good name of any of your fam ily, your brother or yourself. I hrwe loved them .all too_ long and too truly, Uicl1ard, to find pleasure in anythmg wh1clt spoke against theit· wo rth. I slwuld be not less unwilling, Rid,ard, to think that you could say anything winch <hd not mont and command belief. I might think you guilty of error, never of fal sehood." "'rbank you, Mary; for so mucl1, a t least, Jet me thank you . You do me justice on ly. 'VlJcn .I speak fa lsely, of man or woman, brother or stranger, friend or foe, lot my tongue cleave to my mouth in blisters." J ohn liurdis mounted l1is horse :tt that moment, and an air of dil'lsatisliwtion seemed to hang upon llis fe:ttures. lie mut. t~rod something to himself, tJ1e words of which wero unintclli. ? 'blc ~o us; tl~e~1 speaking lturricd ly to .Mary, he Ueclnred his mtontton of ndmg on to l1er fatlJor's farm, tl1on but a short mile off. She b?ggcd hi~n to do so, courteously, but, as I thought coldly; and g1vmg a bttter glauco of enmity towards me, he put spurs to his horse and was soon out of s ir..ht llis absence 1utd a visible eflCct upon h~r, ~nd I felt that much of the vexation was Jlass ing from my own }1cart. There |
