“It would be a great comfort, a great privilege,” said Coldstream; “one from which sin has for long shut me out.”
The prison authorities put no difficulties in the way; they had from the first treated their unhappy charge with consideration. On the following morning the dreary cell became, as it were, a chapel. Over the rude table, on which former criminals had carved their names, a spotless white cloth was spread, covering every mark and unsightly stain. Before it knelt Oscar and his wife, with their missionary friends. It was a holy, peaceful service. Oscar felt that there was a blessing even for a sinner such as he. Blessed is he whose transgression is pardoned, and whose sin is covered; blessed is the man to whom the Lord imputeth not sin.
CHAPTER XXXI.
THE VOYAGE.
Away, away over the wide waters; farewell, a long, a last farewell to the civilized world! Coldstream’s parting with Lawrence is over; both felt that they should never look on each other’s face on this side the grave, but that they should meet on the other side. The breeze fills out the swelling sails; the vessel bounds over the waves. The smell of the sea, the glitter on the waters, the sense of having only the blue sky above, exercised a sensible influence on both the Coldstreams. A slight tinge of colour came to Oscar’s pale, thin cheeks, and Io’s dark eyes brightened with something like pleasure.
“It is nice to be again on the free billows,” she said; and she mentally added, “These so-called black waters are wondrously blue.”
There were other convicts on board besides Coldstream, but with most of them no communication could be held, such a diversity of tongues is found in the vast extent of India. There were, however, one Burmese man, and a woman who was a Bengali. Some knowledgeof the language of the latter Io had picked up during her weary stay in Calcutta.
The Burmese looked with curiosity on the fair, youthful lady, bound, like himself, to the Andaman Islands. Oscar heard the man muttering to himself, “I wonder what bad thing she has done? She doesn’t look like one of our sort.”
“The lady has done nothing bad,” said Coldstream; “she only goes into exile because she will not desert her husband.”
“My boy’s mother is not like that,” observed the Burmese with a gloomy smile; “she would never go across the black waters for me, though it was through her that I got into all this trouble.”