“Ah, Lena, you know that life is sweet to all of us, especially the young and fortunate! Fancy my horror when I heard that I, too, must die!
“I was about to shriek aloud, but with flaming eyes he rushed to me and clapped his hand so rudely over my mouth that my lips were bruised.
“‘Be silent, or you shall share that old man’s fate!’ he hissed, savagely, in my ear.
“I dared not speak, but my dilated eyes must have expressed my horror and aversion, for he went on, as if in apology:
“‘I did it in self-defense, you know, for the old wolf was choking me to death!’
“I could not answer for the cruel hand upon my lips. He still held it there as he proceeded:
“‘I do not like to kill you, for I am charmed with your beauty, and it would be terrible to kill such a fair young girl. But my own life is at stake, and I must look to myself. If I spare you, if I let you go free, will you take an oath never to betray me?’
“He released my lips, and I cried, indignantly:
“‘It would not be right for me to shield you, Mr. Stanley. You have betrayed an innocent young girl and murdered her father! You are not fit to live!’
“‘So you would like to denounce me to the law?’ he sneered, but I could see that he was very uneasy.