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He did his best to deny what she told him "If I could have you all to myself, then I would be happy, no ht suspect"

"And how long would you be content?" Madelaine bent to kiss the fingers of his hand on her shoulder "Even with your children along?"

"I would be thankful to the end of my days," he said with profound conviction

"Do you think so?" Her voice was soft and poignant "You tell me this is how you feel, but it is not You would not like to face age as the living do, while I would hardly change at all"

"I wish you wouldn’t say it that way," he protested

"Hoould you like row old, and I would appear not to Vaed in the last century Hoould you--"

"I would accept it," he insisted, his fingers digging into her flesh, driven by the force of his e to accept it"

"Would you? What of the lovers I would have?" She made her question blunt deliberately

"You wouldn’t need them You would have me," he told her firreat care, "but I would need to find others, or you would soon be exhausted and come to h that she knew she had to make him aware of as likely to happen

"Then ould carry on in va up any doubts that ht trouble him

"But vao still

"And why not, pray?" His tone was harsh, sarcastic, as if he expected so answer

"Because vaive, and the one thing we need above all others," she said quietly "Once you come to my life, you and I will not be able to--"

"It’s not true!" he exclai her away

"But it is," she said

"So I htfully

"Yes," she said

"And I take it there is no alternative to this?" He reached out for her hand "Can we not devise so to becoed," Madelaine said

"Because you have tastedinto his statement

"Yes, Tecumseh; because of that"

He had a sharp retort in le, pithy re; the words never came Instead, he turned, took her face in his hands and scrutinized her features,them, before he kissed her with the sudden, harshAs he rose abruptly from the bed, he said, "Stay there Please, Madelaine Don’t coo if you do"

"All right," she said, watching hiuish Only when he was ready to leave did she say to him, "You are part of me, Tecumseh You will always be part of me"

He paused in the door but would not look around "And you of ood-bye; when she did not, he strode out of the room and down the stairs

San Francisco, 8 October,

To than I would have thought possible, for I ao and my reluctance to leave Tecu, for I have been resigned fro before his wife returns 1 had not thought I would find leaving so arduous, or the wrench of separation as painful as it is proving to be… The two buckboard wagons are ready, one carryingfour crates of ht two horses to ride, and ons, and 1 have paid off those I have hired There only re of my account at Lucas and Turner; I have decided to do it as I a tomorrow, my last stop in this city before we turn to the south-southeast It may be that Tecumseh will not handle the matter himself, but will deputize one of his assistants to tend to the matter…