So make what peace you may with God, for you have little
time to make it.'
With that he took the pistol from the ground where it had lain, and
turning his back on Maskew, walked slowly to and fro among the
bramble-plumps.
Though Maskew's words about his daughter seemed but to feed Elzevir's
anger, by leading him to think of David, they sank deep in my heart; and
if it had seemed a fearful thing before to stand by and see a
fellow-creature butchered, it seemed now ten thousand times more fearful.
And when I thought of Grace, and what such a deed would mean to her, my
pulse beat so fierce that I must needs spring to my feet and run to
reason with Elzevir, and tell him this must not be.
He was still walking among the bushes when I found him, and let me say
my say till I was out of breath, and bore with me if I talked fast, and
if my tongue outran my judgement.
'Thou hast a warm heart, lad,' he said, 'and 'tis for that I like thee.
And if thou hast a chief place in thy heart for me, I cannot grumble if
thou find a little room there even for our enemies. Would I could set thy
soul at ease, and do all that thou askest. In the first flush of wrath,
when he was taken plotting against our lives, it seemed a little thing
enough to take his evil life. But now these morning airs have cooled me,
and it goes against my will to shoot a cowering hound tied hand and foot,
even though he had murdered twenty sons of mine.
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