Part 43 (1/2)
Her tone seeh her soul was in her eyes She was all upon the defense, as Lewis instantly understood He took her hand in both of his own, and looked into her face
She gazed up at him, and swiftly, mercifully, the tears came Gently, as if she had been a child, he dried them for her--as once when a boy, he had promised to do They were alone now The cold silence of the prison was about the Thus only--in their silence--could they speak They did not know that they stood hand in hand
”My husband is not here,” said she at length, gently disengaging her hand from his ”No one knows me now, every one avoids me You must not be seen with me--a pariah, an outcast! I am my father's only friend
Already they condemn him; yet he is as innocent as any e that belief,” said Meriwether Lewis
”But your husband is not here? It is he whom I must see at once”
”Why o to him and to tell him that I am the man hothat he can do will punish me as my own conscience has already punished ive me--I will not be so cheap”
”But--_suppose he does not know_?”
He could only stand silent, regarding her fixedly
”He must never know!” she went on ”It is no time for quixotish to carry our own secret It is better and kinder that it should be between two than aht you dead Let the past remain past--let it bury its own dead!”
”It is our tith ”Guilty as I have been, sinning as I have sinned--tell ?
Listen Those who joined your father's cause were asked to join in treason to their country What he purposed was _treason_ Tell me, did you know this when you came to me?”
He saw the quick pain upon her face, the flush that rose to her pale cheek She drew herself up proudly
”I shall not answer that!” said she
”No!” he exclaiive ht not to answer such a question”
”I only wanted you to be happy--that was my one desire”
She looked aside, and a moment passed before she heard his deep voice reply
”Happy! I am the s, shreds, patches of happiness--that is all that is left of happiness for us, as men and women usually count it But tell s re I can do? What would make you happiest?”
”_My father's freedom!_”
”I cannot promise that; but all that I can do I will”
”Were uilty, that would be the act of a noble mind But how? You are Mr Jefferson's friend, not the friend of Aaron Burr All the world knows that”
”Precisely All the world knows that, or thinks it does It thinks it knows that Mr Jefferson is i? I aht to suborn a juryman, like John Randolph of Roanoke!”[6]