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“He clenched his teeth and shook his head, so that a shock of his red hair loosened in his eyes ‘You get away from me,’ he said to the wo in the other roo woman, and his eyes filled with tears ‘So innocent,’ he said softly; and then he glanced at the ceiling and, asped, ‘Damn you… God! Damn you!’

“ ‘Lord,’ the won of the Cross

“ ‘Do you see this?’ he asked me And he pried very carefully at the lace of the dead woh he could not, did not wish to actually touch the hardening flesh Thereon her throat, unmistakable, were the two puncture wounds, as I’d seen the skin Theon the balls of his feet ‘I think I’ mad!’ he said

“ ‘Coled, her face suddenly flushed

“ ‘Let him be,’ I said to her ‘Just let him be I’ll take care of him’

“Her mouth contorted ‘I’ll throw you all out of here, out into that dark, if you don’t stop’ She was too weary for this, too close to so point herself But then she turned her back on us, drawing her shawl tight around her, and padded softly out, theway for her

/>“The English

“I could see what I must do, but it wasn’t only that I wanted sowith silent exciteht me too mercilessly close to him

“ ‘I’ll stay with you,’ I offered And I brought two chairs up beside the table He sat down heavily, his eyes on the flickering candle at his side I shut the door, and the walls seehter around his bowed head He leaned back against the sideboard and wiped his face with his handkerchief Then he drew a leatherbound flask from his pocket and offered it to me, and I said no

“ ‘Do you want to tell me what happened?’

“He nodded ‘Perhaps you can bring some sanity to this place,’ he said ‘You’re a Frenchlish’

“ ‘Yes,’ I nodded

“And then, pressinghis senses that he never felt the coldness of it, he told an and he needed me desperately, more than he’d ever needed anyone in his life And at thatthe fever of it, I did a strange thing I told himat the dead wo what appeared to be the faintest s in his eyes His expression would have ht have been more than some could bear

“ ‘I did this,’ he said, nodding ‘I brought her here’ And he raised his eyebrows as if wondering at it

“ ‘No,’ I said quickly ‘You didn’t do it Tell me who did’