"I would like to have you with me, Stephen. You know the place, and
the situation, far better than I. But if you feel you cannot. . .you
are free to do as you like after I have gone, with no further
obligation to me."
Purceville was silent. Michael first saw to the horse, thought for a
moment to keep it with him at all times..... No. If this man was going
to risk life and limb to help them, he must be shown this much trust,
at least. He reentered the hut, and began to work on the long length
of rope he had brought with him from the cottage.
Purceville watched him go, then slowly refilled the hole that he had
dug, thinking his own dark thoughts.
Thirty-Two
Earl Arthur stood in the cold cellar-chamber with a cloth held to his
mouth, examining two corpses. While both were branded, and both wore
native clothing, that was where the similarity ended.
The authenticity of number 383, James Talbert, could not be
questioned. His curling, brown-blondish hair and classic Scot
features, his square but emaciated form, all fit the known facts: the
prisoner who would not be disciplined, who had escaped mentally ill,
and on the verge of death.
Pages:
243
244
245
246
247
248
249
250
251
252
253
254
255
256
257
258
259
260
261
262
263
264
265
266
267