"I will renounce it!"
"Do you swear to do so?"
"I swear it!"
"Then, on my side, I here take the oath of silence you require!"
"You forgive me for having quarreled with you?"
"I forgive you!"
"Then let us leave this accursed spot without another moment's delay!"
"So be it!"
They hastily quitted the bank of the little stream and went to the cabin to prepare for their immediate departure. As they passed the spot where Lorenzo's body had lain, Espérance noticed with a start that it was no longer there. They entered the cabin. It was dark and deserted. Espérance lighted a candle and, as he did so, perceived a scrap of paper upon the floor. He stooped mechanically and picked it up. It was rumpled as if it had been crushed in the hand and cast away. The young man straightened it out. It was a brief letter. He held it to the candle and, with a sickening sensation at his heart, read as follows: