Not till their two figures had disappeared and it was quite clear
again did the instinct of self-preservation return, and with it
the thought of flight.
But where could I fly? No spot in the wide world was secret enough
to conceal me now. I was a marked man. Better to stand my ground,
and take the consequences, than to act the coward's part and slink
away like those other men of blood I had so often sat in judgment
upon.
Had I but followed this impulse! Had I but gone among my fellows,
shown them the mark of Cain upon my forehead, and prayed, not for
indulgence, but punishment, what days of gnawing misery I should
have been spared!
But the horror of what lay at my feet drove me from the Hollow and
drove me the wrong way. As my steps fell mechanically into the
trail down which I had come in innocence and kindly purpose only a
few minutes before, a startling thought shot through my benumbed
mind. The woman had shown no haste in her turning! There had been
a naturalness in her movement, a dignity and a grace which spoke
of ease, not shock. What if she had not seen! What if my deed was
as yet unknown! Might I not have time for--for what? I did not
stop to think; I just pressed on, saying to myself, "Let
Providence decide. If I meet any one before I reach my own door,
my doom is settled. If I do not--"
And I did not. As I turned into the lane from the ravine I heard a
sound far down the slope, but it was too distant to create
apprehension, and I went calmly on, forcing myself into my usual
leisurely gait, if only to gain some control over my own emotions
before coming under Oliver's eye.
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