At last an offer was
made to him. If he would seek out and deliver up another man, an
outlaw with a price upon his head, he should himself go free.'
I paused and drew a deep breath. Then I continued, looking not
at her, but into the distance, and speaking slowly.
'Mademoiselle, it seems easy now to say what course he should
have chosen. It seems hard now to find excuses for him. But
there was one thing which I plead for him. The task he was asked
to undertake was a dangerous one. He risked, he knew that he
must risk, and the event proved him to be right, his life against
the life of this unknown man. And one thing more; time was
before him. The outlaw might be taken by another, might be
killed, might die, might--But there, Mademoiselle, we know what
answer this person made. He took the baser course, and on his
honour, on his parole, with money supplied to him, he went free;
free on the condition that he delivered up this other man.'
I paused again, but I did not dare to look at her; and after a
moment of silence I resumed.
'Some portion of the second half of the story you know,
Mademoiselle; but not all.
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