.." He held her close
to him, and closed his eyes.
"No, my girl," he said at length. "It's not your fault, and no more
than I expected. I don't know if I can explain this to you. Here. Sit
you down, and let me wrap the coverlet about me. I'm afraid I'm not
quite well."
She did as he asked, and studied this new Michael as he spoke. He had
changed both physically and spiritually, though there had always been
another side of him, seeming at times so serious and worn that she
could find no trace of the hardy, boisterous youth she had once known.
And even as he spoke of the hardship and sorrow of another, her
woman's instinct read his own tale between the lines. And seeing his
pain, she determined to learn fully of the scars and afflictions he
bore, that she might nurse him again to health and ease of mind.
"James had a rough go of it in prison, as did we all. But for him the
more so, because he could never master his pride and fierce temper. He
didn't know when to back down, and just survive. Because of this he
was often singled out for punishment, as an example to the rest.
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