At a Girl's Mercy, or, The Fortunes of War — page 223: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

912 AT A GIRL’S MERCY. enemy you have. You cannot know the depth of his villainy—the depth of his crime. What will you say when | tell you that he and Blake were simply work- ing for each other? That it was at Blake’s instiga- tion he robbed your father the better to gain a hold upon you. To be shotis too good for this villain. Your surgeon told me about it. I could shoot him myself, and every rifle should be loaded for his death when they bring him out to-morrow.”’ ‘“‘Don’t, Ned,’’ she said. ‘‘Don’t, Ned! I know he deserves to die, but to die as he must, with such a cowardly life behind him, is so terrible I cannot bear to think of it. I might have saved his life, Ned—l might have saved his life to-night, and so saved fa- ther, as I thought, but I could not do it. And he told me—yes—about Howard Blake. I guessed he was capable of treachery, but itis dreadful to know it beyond doubt. WasI very hard and cruel to this man, Ned? Iam almost sorry now——’’ He smiled into the anxious, quivering face. “You would have been no daughter of your fa- ther, no daughter of the Union, Nan,’’ he said, steadily, ‘if you had done such a thing. He de- serves death, and to be shot is too good for him. A hundred more years of granted life would have been used simply in acts of harm. You shall think of this no longer, and I will tell you instead about the brave man who is justly your father.’’ Se “Yes, Ned.’? she said, obediently. It was strange how she had changed in the few short minutes since their meeting. She was still the brave, noble woman who would have given her father to death rather than have ac- cepted his life at the hands of a coward, but there was a Sense of being able to lean upon the strength of another now that made her the tender girl of the old Hall days. She had and would always obey com- mands of Ned when uttered in this kindly voice, and her heart was too thankful at having him again ee back to her to rise for even an instant in re- ellion at any command of his. “Yes, Ned,”’ she said again. ‘‘Poor, dear papa! might have known you would save him. But how —