Page 206 - The snake's pass

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194 THE snake's pass. — — ;
he came over to me, and laying his hands, one of which
grasped the deed, on my shoulders, said :
" Thank God, Art, there need be no bitterness be-
tween me and thee—all is as yon say, but oh
! old
fellow!"—and here he laid his head on my shoulder
—
and sobbed " my heart is broken ! All the light has
!
gone out of my life
His despair was only for a moment. Eecovering him-
self as quickly as he had been overcome, he said :
"Never mind, old fellow, only one of us must suffer;
and, thank God ! my secret is with you alone—n® one
else in the wide world even suspects. She must never
know ! Now tell me all about it ; don't fear that it
will hurt me. It will be something to know that you
are both happy. By the way, this had better be torn up
there is no need for it now ! " Having torn the paper
across, he put his arm over my shoulder as he used to
do when we were boys ; and so we passed into the
gathering darkness.
Thank God for loyal and royal manhood ! Thank
God for the heart of a friend that can suffer and re-
main true ! And thanks, above all, that the lessons of
tolerance and forgiveness, taught of old by the Son of
God, are now and then remembered by the sons of men.