"And so Marah was in the river, and Urquhart on the seas. I had been robbed of everything, even vengeance, and life had nothing for me, and I was determined to leave it, not in the vulgar way of suicide, but by cloistering myself in the great forests. As no one said me nay, I at once carried out this scheme; and to show you how dead I had become to the world, I will tell you that as I turned the lock of my door and took my first step forward on the road which led to this spot, a great shout broke out in the market place:
"'The farmers of Lexington have fired upon the king's troops!'
"And I did not even turn my head!"
CHAPTER XVI.
A DREAM ENDED.
There was silence in the cave. Mark Felt's story was at an end.
For a moment I sat and watched him; then, as I realized all that I must yet gather from his lips, I broke the stillness by saying, in my lowest and most suggestive tone, these two words:
"And Marah?"
The name did not seem unwelcome. Striking his breast, he cried: