Thus questioned, Blaze gave a synopsis of their conversation as understood by him, winding up with:
"And now, s'posin' you give us an idea of what yer man has really bin a-doin'."
CHAPTER X.
A STORY OF A DOUBLE MURDER.
As we have already stated, Winkle, while fighting the crowd of phantoms and fancies that over-shadowed him, had felt inclination to confide in his newly-found comrade. Being thus addressed decided him.
"I don't know that I'm making mountains out of mole-hills. I think, though, that perhaps I have given way where I should have fought it out, and allowed myself to be over-powered by that which would only make a ripple in some men's lives. Sometimes I can think of that man Endicott coolly enough; there are times, too, when I want and intend to kill him. Yet I suppose that others have been injured as much—and forgiven. Men are not always responsible for their mad fancies—do you think they are?"
Blaze gave a curious look at the speaker. He appeared to ask the question in perfect good faith, so the trapper answered:
"Not fur the'r mad fancies allers. No."
"I don't want to make a long story, and I don't want to go into too many details. It will only raise the devil in me again and that I am trying to keep down. I want my head cool now, if ever. It seems to me it's cleared off wonderfully of late; perhaps it might so happen that I could forgive. All the forgiveness in the world, though, won't bring poor Ned back to life, or mend a mother's broken heart.