The gloomy-looking partisan crossed the threshold, grounded the butt of his rifle, and faced the count without a word.
De Cavannes rose to his feet, and his eye gleamed, as he said:
“I knew you would come. After all you are no coward, if you are a villain, Pierce.”
The partisan laughed sardonically.
“Do you render that much justice to me, Alphonse? You are growing rational. I remember when you would not hear a word, and murdered an innocent woman in your frenzy.”
The count shook his head, and all the fire died out of his eyes.
“Pierce Harley,” he said, “if you could prove that, no living man would be more glad than I to spend the rest of my life in the torments of hell on earth, that I might see her once more, to ask her forgiveness one moment. But it is useless. Traitor and false fr
