aking
o sleep, Stepoo omed amount of roense in too restless to sleep, to midnig seeing ter - ars - living only in tant future. At last fatigue conquered restlessness, and arpauling on t. Sest of a midsummer daybreak er epar appeared, t greill t ed in St Oggs boat, and it came nearer and nearer till tman looking at o stretc o turned over and to sink, till o a really angry. From t false o ter against tstep on tarlit sky. t of utter be before disentangled from t soon terrible trutself upon ep by must blot ted - s sorroo to t up rust and love. t ure recoiled from - breac ties t o duty, and la t lead led o t temptation. S it no t ed. t least t from all riving after t and best - t rayed, beguiled, ensnared, could never deliberately consent to a c? O God - not a c of conscious cruelty and o see before rust and ep for ever sink and ain impulse; for s go t clue
ecstasy; s face to face no sad patient living strengt ts bro yesterday endurance s cross .
Daybreak came and tern lig life igc moments of possible rescue. Sepill fast asleep, and of found its bitterness of parting - t t urged t in give to surmounting everyt rise to energy till it oo late. - too late! It oo late no to oo late for everyt to rus act of baseness - tasting of joys t were wrung from cruss.
tarted up a day of resistance ears, as, looking at tepoo, and, getting up from o sit beside inct of anxious love sao give glance. ance in Maggies nature t o overcome. freedom yesterday: too mucive to feel t if o reproach him.
But Maggie did not feel t rigoo conscious of fatal enderness t comes ing a do of possible parting oget tains assurance t t Mudport by five oclock, eac in ed to to dissipate - in e resolve on ly to tigepinually, ty at tigue and discomfort so landing and to tion and repose sing to assure ely by pre-supposing t everyt. For a long ed ss rest, and t s mind about being on t like being on t tle less pleasant t on t a suppressed resolve ray itself in tep Maggie irely lost did not dare, to speak of ter it, and teps ake to inform , of assent from eacime ronger dread of t sadness .
` of Mudport, last. `No, urning to of your fatigue is over. On tness. In anotoget to you after this.
Maggie felt it ime to speak - it o assent by silence. S tone, as inct decision.
`e s be togeted.
to Stephens face.
`e s, .
It neito say anotill t doaken to ter of gazers and passengers aing ture of teamboat to St Oggs. Maggie ep some one oer as if o speak to s to everyt trial.
A porter guided to t inn and postingepook no notice of to so a room w down.
ered, Maggie did not sit doepe determination in it, to ring the bell, when she said, in a firm voice,
`Im not going, part here.
`Maggie, urning round toure beginning, `Do you mean to kill me? is t nohing is done.
`No, it is not done, said Maggie - `too mucrace of. But I try to prevail cerday.
, and make a new barrier. y.
`Maggie, last, pausing before one of imploring cy - I did yesterday. - I your full consent. But dont bligy t can anso any one - t can only create ne do - - t you are going to do. Dont treat me as if you couldnt trust me.
effective appeal; but Maggies o suffer.
`e must not , s distinct voice. `e must part at once.
`e cant part, Maggie, said Stepuously. `I cant bear it. is ting t misery on me? tever it may ruck no you should drive me mad?
`I begin any future, even for you, said Maggie, tremulously, `e consent to o I told you at Basset I feel noo temptation. It er if part now.
`e part, Step out, instinctively placing tting everyts before. `I endure it. Youll make me desperate - I s know w I do.
Maggie trembled. S t ting could not be effected suddenly. S rely on a sloo Stepter self - s be prepared for a ask t of rusion epc look of desperation like t of a frig t opposition ermination groronger.
`Remember - t o ot conquer every inclination debt. e o keep our resolutions - but the same.
`No, it does not remain tep it o keep our resolutions. e torong to be overcome. t natural las every ot it clash.
`It is not so, Stepe sure t is o t again and again - but I see, if for all treacy - sacred ties t can ever be formed on eart is not to bind us, ion of t.
`But ties t cant be kept by mere resolution, said Steparting up and again. ` is outancy love?
Maggie did not ansely. Sest. At last se assertion of ion as muc him,
`t seems rig first - but rigancy mean somet is easiest and pleasantest to ourselves. tever is opposed to tever o t on us. If er, nobler - trongly present t so continually, just as ts e feeling a pain to myself t emptation. O, hink of her...
Maggies voice ting ctered t words.
`I cant tepamping as if you. Maggie, you demand of a man t once - but I cant go back to it no to torture me? You cant save tear yourself from me, and make my life o me. And even if s - if t love. e ake.
A deep flus speak. Step doaking e entreaty.
`Maggie! Dearest! If you love me, you are mine. a claim on you as I t can annul our rigo eac is t time we and soul.
Maggie ill silent for a little er of neriump s - not h yielding.
`No - not and soul, Stepimid resolution, `I ed to it ions, and longing after perfect goodness, t rong me for long - to me - repentance. I couldnt live in peace if I put t I ely consented to it - I ;t I may ; It o marry you - if you o from tary triump o time before yesterday, I rue to my calmer affections and live the joy of love.
Stepiently, he room in suppressed rage.
`Good God! out, at last, `o a mans. I could commit crimes for you - and you can balance and c you dont love me - if you it I o you to t of sacrificing me. But it weig you are robbing me of my lifes happiness.
Maggie pressed oget convulsively as s terror flasning, and tretche darkness.
`No - I dont sacrifice you - I couldnt sacrifice you, s I cant believe in a good for you, t I feel - t o c tell or rue to all tives t sanctify our lives. I kno belief is I t if I let it go for ever, I s this life.
`But Maggie, said Steping possible you dont see t ion of t infatuation is it - inate prepossession t blinds you to t? It is too late to say ing t vie act on noion is altered - t course is no longer accept our oions and start afreserday? It is nearly t on ot . It epterly, `t you mig your tie to me ronger to others.
Again a deep flus. Step again t o prevail - believed t prevail: ties ely for us to fear them.
`Dearest, , tenderest tone, leaning toing - duty must spring out of t no t t - it is so long since--
Maggies eyes opened errified look at t o arted up - pale again.
`O I cant do it s of agony - `Step ask me - dont urge me. - I cant argue any longer - I dont kno my let me do it. I see - I feel trouble no is as if it y me - and no ter your love to me - I do care for P o eac of me as to me t I mig less rusted me more t marry you - I cannot take a good for myself t of t is not t ougo rule us - t my past life o me. I cant set out on a fres t - I must go back to it, and cling to it, - else I s.
`Good God, Maggie! said Stepoo and grasping marrying me? You dont kno. You see not really is.
`Yes, I do. But to t. Dear - dear Step me go! - dont drag me into deeper remorse. My does not consent now.
Step go unned by despairing rage. a fes, not looking at urned to last ill looking at her,
`Go, t torture me any longer - I cant bear it.
Involuntarily so o touc as if it had been burning iron, and said again,
`Leave me.
Maggie conscious of a decision as surned a gloomy averted face - and of t omatic action t fulfils a forgotten intention. came after? A sense of stairs descended as if in a dream - of flagstones - of a canding - treet, and a turning into anotreet aking in passengers - and ting t t t coacake oo the coach.
rials - ouary ep, as suco urge all ots into activity. But among s, y and remorseful anguis no room for t.
taking o York - fart s learn t until s doy at midnig ter: sart day. S, - a bank-note and a sovereign: s it in from forgetfulness, after going out to make purcerday.
Did s nig unent sacrifice? - t struggles of life are not so easy as t - t problems of life are not so clear. - In t nigepurned toence an easy floating in a stream of joy instead of a quiet resolved endurance and effort: - t o receive it once more and t seemed to slip away and fade and vanis said, `Gone - for ever gone.