"At this town the answer to the never-varied question would be:--
"'At seven o'clock last evening, M'sieur.'
"'Seven--ah; eighteen hours. Give me something to eat, quick, while the
horses are being put to.'
"At the next the calculation would be sixteen hours.
"Passing a lonely chalet, Monsieur puts his head out of the window:--
"'How long since a carriage passed this way, with a tall, fair man
inside?'
"'Such a one passed early this morning, M'sieur.'
"'Thanks, drive on, a hundred francs apiece if you are through the pass
before daybreak.'
"'And what for dead horses, M'sieur?'
"'Twice their value when living.'
"One day the man who was ridden by Fear looked up, and saw before him the
open door of a cathedral, and, passing in, knelt down and prayed. He
prayed long and fervently, for men, when they are in sore straits, clutch
eagerly at the straws of faith. He prayed that he might be forgiven his
sin, and, more important still, that he might be pardoned the
consequences of his sin, and be delivered from his adversary; and a few
chairs from him, facing him, knelt his enemy, praying also.
"But the second man's prayer, being a thanksgiving merely, was short, so
that when the first man raised his eyes, he saw the face of his enemy
gazing at him across the chair-tops, with a mocking smile upon it.
Pages:
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134