"'Stop!' cried he; and going rapidly to the front door he opened it.
'There!' shrieked he, 'if you will be fools, go! and may the
lightning blast you. But first give me the money.'
"'Come from the door,' said she, reaching out her left hand for the
lantern hanging at the side of the fireplace, 'and let Karl light
this and keep himself out of the way.'
"It was all done. In less time than I can tell it, the old man had
stepped from the door, the younger one had lit the lantern and we
were in readiness to depart.
"'Now do you proceed,' said she to me, 'I will follow.'
"'No,' said I, 'we will go together.'
"'But the money? ' growled the heavy voice of my host over my
shoulder.
"'I will give it to you on my return,' said the girl.
CHAPTER XII
A WOMAN'S LOVE
"Shall I ever forget the blast of driving rain that struck our faces
and enveloped us in a cloud of wet, as the door swung on its hinges
and let us forth into the night; or the electric thrill that shot
through me as that slender girl grasped my hand and drew me away
through the blinding darkness. It was not that I was so much
affected by her beauty as influenced by her power and energy. The fury
of the gale seemed to bend to her will, the wind lend wings to her
feet. I began to realize what intellect was.
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