Part 41 (1/2)
After hearing Frank's story Louis gave a full account of his own adventures, o for his own heart, and not for another's ear
”Have you the letter and MS?”
”Yes”
”Let me read them”
Louis took the treasures and handed them to Frank He read them in silence
”Is Cato with you yet?”
”Yes”
”It is well”
”And now, Frank,” said Louis, ”you have so at last to live for”
”What is that?”
”Vengeance!” cried Louis, with burning eyes
”Vengeance!” repeated Frank, without eive peace to your own heart by inflicting suffering on our enemies? What can they possibly suffer that can atone for what they have inflicted? All that they can feel is as nothing coly; ”and what sort of vengeance? Would you kill them? What would that effect?
Would he be reater happiness? Or do youthan death?”
”Death,” said Louis, ”is nothing for such cri, then, and you ask me Well, after all, do I want his? What are they or what can they be to me? He stands on his own plane, far beneath me; he is a coarse ani but physical pain Should I inflict that on hiood would it be to me? And yet there is none other that I can inflict”
”Langhetti must have transforhetti; or perhaps the fact that I three tiazed upon the face of death and stood upon the threshold of that place where dwells the Infinite Mystery So when you speak of eancewhich eance”
”Na!” cried Frank, in vehement tones; ”the presence of that foul pair in the hos of the past! Do you think that I can endure this?”
”No--you eance”
”What then?”
”Justice!” cried Frank, starting to his feet ”Justice--strict, stern, merciless; and that justice eance
Let us ainst him froet back our own; let us put him into the power of the law, and let that take satisfaction on hi hily condeony will give uish that a base nature can suffer is only disgusting to me--he suffers only out of his baseness To eance is ih”
”At any rate you will have a purpose, and your purpose points to the same result as mine”
”But how is this possible?” said Frank ”He is strong, and we are weak