'Mine! Christian, you have mine. You will not refuse; you will let him go, for I will be his surety.'
'This is folly.'
'It is not. Is it not enough? I—life—honour, in pledge for him. O Christian, you cannot gainsay, else you dishonour your own purpose.'
'We are plain men who are dealing for justice. An innocent girl cannot be substitute for a traitor all but proved, whom, moreover, the League needs for a better information.'
Still Rhoda tried protests.
'Girl, are you out of your senses too? dishonest too? Can you state any circumstance to justify this urgency for a day's grace? Failing that, well we can guess what he would do with it. It is somewhat barefaced.'
Christian checked her answering, and owned defeat.
'Give over now,' he said. 'An hour have I wasted fighting over losing ground. You have gained all along, and I know it. In every way you have the advantage. Say now, what will you do with it?'
'You surrender?'
'No. By your force, not by my will, shall liberty go. Quit words and be doing. No: what then?'