Joe Doughty placed his hand gently and mildly on the shoulder of the prisoner, and said, in a broken tone—
“Ye must bear up—indeed you must. There be one above who sees and knows all our hearts, and he will not desert ’ee, he will not desert a truly repentant sinner, Giles. Mind ’ee that, mate, and think o’ that while ’ee have time. Do ’ee understand?”
“Aye, aye, I understand.”
“Well, then, be mindful o’ what I ha’ bin sayin’.”
“I ha’ bin mindful of it; and Mr. Jamblin, how be he, and Miss Jamblin?”
“Ah, they are neither of them much to boast of. The old gentleman is sadly broken. He looks ten years older.”
“Does he?”
“Ah, more—a goodish bit more than ten years. He’ll never be the same man again; but I won’t pain ’ee by talking about him or his. What be done can’t be undone, and it aint o’ no use trying to call back the past, because the past don’t belong to no man. Think o’ that, Giles, ask for forgiveness. Is there any request you have to make—anything you wish me to do for ’ee? I pledge my word to carry out your wishes as far as lies in my power.”
“I dunno that I want ’ee to do anything,” said the prisoner, hesitatingly. “I have done with the world, but still I should loike ’ee to see Nell Fulford, and tell her that if I had not loved her so much I shouldn’t have been so jealous.”
“Oh, it will never do to tell her that, Giles. Better say nothing about it now.”