"Hold up your right hand." She obeyed him. "You swear never to repeat what I tell you."
"Yes, I swear."
"By the memory of your mother?"
"Yes, by the memory of my mother."
"And you hope that the Eternal God may frown upon you if you do not keep your oath?"
"Judge, this is awful."
"Are you going to back out now? Are you afraid?"
"I am not afraid. I hope that the Eternal God may frown upon me if I do not keep my oath."
He took her hand, the hand held high, and said to her, "You will keep your oath. It was disagreeable to take it, but the measure was necessary. And now comes the agonizing part of my duty—and I wish I had died before being compelled to discharge it. Florence, you know that I love you."
"Yes, sir, I know it—could never have doubted it. But why do you speak of it? What has it to do with—"