“As for Louise—as for her: I don’t know where she is, but I’ll find her. One thing is sure: if I see her, I’ll tell her never to go back to you; and she won’t. You’ve drunk at the waters of Canaan for the last time. For a Christian you’re pretty filthy. Go and wash in the pool of Siloam and be clean—damn you, Mazarine!”
With that he turned, almost unheeding the hands thrust out to grip his, the voices murmuring approval. In a moment he had swung his horses round. He did not go beyond ten yards, however, before someone, running beside his wagon, whispered up to him: “She’s out at Nolan Doyle’s ranch. She went with the Young Doctor and Patsy Kernaghan.”
Behind, in the street, a young boy came running through the crowd and shouting: “I know where they are! I know where they are!” He stopped before Mazarine. “Gimme half a dollar, and I’ll tell you where your horses are. Gimme half a dollar. Gimme half a dollar, and I’ll tell you.”
An instant later, with the half-dollar in his hand, he said: “They’re up to the shed of the Meetin’ House.”
“Yes, go along up to the Meetin’ House, Mr. Mazarine,” said one of the miscreants who had driven the horses there. “They’re holding a post-mortem on you at the prayer meetin’. They say you’re dead in trespasses and sins. Get along, Joel.”
The crowd started to follow him to the shed where his horses were, but after a moment he turned on them and said:
“Ain’t you heerd and seen enough? Ain’t there no law to protect a man?”
A hoe was leaning against a fence. He saw it, and with sudden fury, seizing it, swung it round his head as if to throw it into the crowd. At that moment a stalwart constable ran forward, raised a hand towards Mazarine, and then addressed the crowd.
“We’ve had enough of this,” he said. “I’ll lock up any man that goes a step further towards the Meetin’ House. Where do you think you are? This is Askatoon, the place of peace and happiness, and we’re going to be happy, if I have to lock up the hull lot of you. I guess you can go right on, Mr. Mazarine,” he added. “Go right on and git your wagon.”
A moment later Mazarine was walking alone towards the Meeting House; but no, not alone, for a hundred devils were with him.