"And I want you to understand one thing," Tom went on fiercely, "if an angel from heaven told me that Helen's blood was tainted, I'd demand proofs! You have shown none, and I'm not going to give up the woman I love!"
Norton supported himself by the table and felt his way along its edges as if blinded. His eyes were set with a half-mad stare as he gripped Tom's shoulders:
"I love you, my boy, with a love beyond your ken, a love that can be fierce and cruel when God calls, and sooner than see you marry this girl, I'll kill you with my own hands if I must!"
The answer came slowly:
"And you can't guess what's happened?"
"Guess—what's—happened!" the father repeated in a whisper. "What do you mean?"
"That I'm married already!"
With hands uplifted, his features convulsed, the father fell back, his voice a low piteous shriek:
"Merciful God!—No!"
"Married an hour before you dragged me away in that campaign!" he shouted in triumph. "I knew you'd never consent and so I took matters into my own hands!"