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Show 274 HI('!/ \IW HUIWh. purpose in view. Thou, suddenly tnrnh1g, she cotlf'rontcd me, with .a face in w!Jiclt, if,, f:tc<' lllight enr Lc sa id to blnzc with Jire, :md yet maintain its nnturnl oxp r C'~sio n , lzcrs did. She gazed on me for a few seconds with all tlzc intcusity of nn expression which wns neither li:ttc nor anger, but blind ferocity, and destructive judgment i :mel then she spoke, in accents whiclz would have been bitter enough to my lzcart, lzad I not well enough understood the maddening Littcrncss in hers. "And so he was mnrdcrcd-rmd you led him on this expedition to be murdered! You were his fricml-and while they pursued him for the accursed money-you lny quiet1y-wit1tout cflOrt-having bonds, wlzich a child --a woman-w1lic!t I -weak nnd feeblo :ts I :tm-which I would have broken nt such a time-wldch you might ha\'C broken, had you been warmed with a proper S!lirit to help your friend ! And he thougl1t you a brave man, too-he told me you were so, and I believed it-I gave him in charge to you, rmd you suffered your villains to murder l1im! T ell me nothing, I say, Richard Hurd is-they were your villains, else l10w should you, a brave man, submit, as you did, to be bound ana laughed at, while he could brenk from his bonds and escape fi·om the very ~;narc to which you so tamely submitted ! I will not l1 ear yon-they were your villains-else llOw should you, a brave mnn, submit and do Jl othing ! 'Vould he- would \Villimn luwe submitted thus 1 Would he have left his friend to })erish 1-or, if he could not save his lifo, would he ha,'e come sne::tking home with the tidings of his friend 's murder and l1is own base cowardice1 No, Uichr.rd Ilurdis !-I tell you-! answer for the dead-he would have pursued these murderers to the ends of tl1c earth! He would have dragged them to just ice, or slain them with Ilia own l1ands ! lie 11ever would l1avc slept in his bed till he l1ad taken this vengeance! Day and night would Iwve been to him , the same! Day and night, he lmd pursued them-through the forests - through the swaml)S, in all I1aunt s, in aJI disguises, tiJJ he l1ad revenged the murder of }lis fri end-till, for the }JOiy blood of friendship, he had drained the hearts of all having any hand in his murder! l3ut yon-what have you done 1 lin! ha! ha! Bravely-bravely, Richard Jlm·dis! William thought you l1ad courage-he clid-:-and ho relied on it! He re1ied too 'r ilE MANIA C. 270 mncl1. You have sl1 ed no blood, tl10ngh he is murd ered ! You have neither sJJed the blood of his murderers, nor your own! Show me a finger-scratch, if you c:m ! Yon :trc-IJa! ha! 1m! tlJiS is cournge, is it 1-and he thought you brave! Well, tl10 wisC'st mny be mistaken-the wiscst-tiJC very wisest!" She went on much furtl1 er, but her ravings grew incol1erent, awl nt length, from imperfect tho1Jg1lts, her strength being nigh rx hausted, she ouly articulated in broken words and sentences. On a sudden, she stopped; her eye grew fixed wl1ile gazing upon me, and her lower jaw became paralyzed, ere the halting word was uttered. I saw that a crisis was at hand, and rushed toward l1 er nt the fortunate moment. I caught her as she feU; and she l:~y paralyzed and senseless, like the very marble, in my arms. |
