“A little. It seems I made a great mistake in not going to Boston. Is it too late now?”
“Yes, dear. Fortune does not stand twice on a man’s threshold. New York was our point of turning, and we turned to the West, instead of the North.”
“Mr. Curtis would not renew his offer, I suppose?”
“If he did, you would have to tell him all that has taken place.”
“That would be foolish.”
“It would be honorable.”
“Milly, I have seen all my life, that it is very near as bad to be accused as it is to be guilty. In a few words, a man is accused of some cruel or dishonorable deed—four or five words will do that wrong—but the accused, however innocent, cannot go about with the proofs of his innocence in his pocket, and 176 expect people to take an interest in them. That unspeakable man knew this; he calculated on its influence, even if his plot failed.”
“Do not let us speak of him. His very name is malign on our lips. Robert, we have been traveling thousands of miles towards Texas. Shall we turn back now? Or shall we go on?”
“To go to New York, Milly——”
“Is to turn back.”