Page 196 - The snake's pass

184 THE snake's pass.
his own love only when I answered him that it was not ?
No ! Dick must be acquitted from blame !
Acquitted from blame ! Was that justice ? At pre-
sent he was in the position of a wronged man, and it
was I who had wronged him—in ignorance certainly, but
still the wrong was mine. And now what could I do?
Should I tell Dick ? I shrank from such a thing ; and
as yet there was little to tell. Not till to-morrow even-
ing should I know my fate ; and might not that fate be
such that it would be wiser not to tell Dick of it?
Norah had asked for time to consider my offer. If it
should be that she had already promised Dick, and yet
should have taken time to consider another offer, would
it be fair to tell Dick of such hesitation, even though
the result was a loyal adherance to her promise to him ?
Would such be fair either to him or to her ? No ! he
must not be told—as yet, at all events.
How, then, should I avoid telling him, in case the
subject should crop up in the course of conversation ? I
had not told him of any of my late visits to Knockcall-
tecrore, although, God knows! they were taken not in
my own interest, but entirely in his ; and now an ex-
planation seemed impossible.
Thus revolving the situation in my mind as I walked
along, I came to the conclusion that the wisest thing I
could do was to walk to some other place and stay there
for the night. Thus I might avoid questioning altoge-
ther. On the morrow I could return to Carnaclif, and
go over to Shleenanaher at such a time that I might