'Dominie,' I said, 'if they come at us, mind that we are not to leave the lasses alive to fall into their bloody hands.'
He looked at me with a haggard face and shook his head.
'I cannot do it!' he said, and set his hands over his eyes to hide the torches' flare.
When he looked up again I pointed to the loathed things that decked the walls in the eaves of the cave, and to the pickle barrels that stood in the corners.
The Dominie understood and nodded.
'Surely you can if I can,' I whispered to him. 'I will take care of Nell—my love, if you—'
And I looked at Marjorie so that he understood fully. Then came my eyes back to Nell. They felt hot and dry.
For I was taken with the reek in them, and my heart rose within me to think that in a swift tale of moments I might have to take away the sweet life from my own heart's love. But when I went back to her, there was a new light of understanding in the face on which the flicker of the fire was reflected from the roof. I knew that she had seen and understood the import of my colloquy with the Dominie, and our looking from the one to the other of them.
Yet the fear had strangely gone from her face. I declare she looked almost glad. She set her lips to my ear.
'Launce,' she whispered, 'I want none but you to do it—if so be that it comes to that. You will, will you not, Launce?'