Again I hesitated, and again she told me to go on.
Should I tell her? Should I with a few words blacken her life, should I destroy her every hope? Yet the truth must out. It always does, and I should but put off the evil day by refraining from telling her. Yet it was terribly hard, the man must have a steady hand who writes his own death-warrant without shaking.
She saw, I think, how terrible was the ordeal, for she nestled closer to me and spoke gently.
"Dear Roger," she said, "it must have nearly driven you mad to meet him."
I think this gave me strength, for I clenched my hands nervously, and began to tell her of our meeting and of the darkest deed that ever blighted my life, wondering in my heart what she would say and do when she knew what I had done.
CHAPTER XXIV
CAIN
And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand.… A fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth.
And Cain said to the Lord, My punishment is greater than I can bear.—The Book of Genesis.