"He would stay a day, perhaps two days, in Genoa. It is just possible you might overtake him by going straight through."
"Yes," said Brand, with a strange smile on his face, as if he were looking at something far away, and it was scarcely to his companion that he spoke, "I think I will go straight through. I should not like any one but myself to take Natalie this news."
They walked back to the chambers, and Brand began to put things in order for his going.
"It is rather a shame," he said, during this business, "for one to be glad that this poor wretch has come to such an end; but what better could have happened to him, as you say? You will see about a decent funeral, Edwards; and I will leave you something to stop the mouth of that caterwauling landlady. You can tell them at the inquest that he has no relations in this country."
By-and-by he said,
"If there are any debts, I will pay them; and if no one has any objection I should like to have that casket, to show to—to Miss Lind. Did you see the carving on it?"
"I looked at it."
"He must have spent many a night working at that. Poor wretch, I wish I had looked after him more, and done more for him. One always feels that when people are dead, and it is too late."
"I don't see how you could have done more for him," Ed
wards said, honestly enough: though indeed it was he himself who had been Kirski's chief protector of late.