But she touched her fingers to mine. "Monsieur, I beg you. Hear me out before you speak. As to my coming here, I promised you that I would not turn westward,--but I could not help it." "I know, madame." "My cousin--he was--he was a spy, after all. He deceived us both. He was carrying peace belts. But--but I am sure that he had moments of saying to himself that he would refuse to act the spy. When he lied to me, and told me that he had no purpose but my safety, I think that he thought he spoke the truth." "I know, madame." "But when--when I saw what he had done, when I saw that we were going west, I warned him that I would leave him. I told him, too, that he was going to his death. He did not believe me. No watch was kept on me. He had a small canoe; I took it one night. I had provision--a little---- I--I--I am here, monsieur." I stood with my eyes down. "Your cousin wished to follow you. The Indians restrained him. It was as I told you. He was not a coward at the last, madame."' I heard her quick breath. "My cousin,--he was very weak. But he would have liked not to be. I think that he would have liked to be such a man as you, monsieur." If I had been a live man I should have cried out at the irony of having to hear her say that to me. But I could not feel even shame. "Hush, hush!" I said slowly. "It is my turn now. Madame, I knew that you were in the Seneca camp." "But I was not." "It is the same as if you were. We had news from Indian runners that Starling had turned west and joined Pemaou. I knew that he would take you to the Senecas." I stopped and forced myself to look at her. But I found no horror in her face. There was still that strange glow of pride that had not faded since she talked to Cadillac. I saw that she did not understand. My voice was thick, but I tried to speak again. She interrupted. "This is not a surprise to me. This wilderness that seems so lonely is full of eyes and ears. I feared that you would hear that we had turned west." Her face was unsteady with tenderness. I had never seen her look like that. I warded her away though she was several feet distant. "You do not understand," I said. "I knew that you were in the camp, yet I gave the signal to attack it. I gave the signal to attack it with Indians, and you were inside." "But I was not inside, monsieur." "I believed you to be, and I gave the signal." "But, monsieur, I"---- "Madame, I believed you to be in the camp, and I gave the signal to attack it." She was silent at that, and I knew that at last she understood. We stood side by side. I looked at the litter in Cadillac's tent, and counted it piece by piece. There were clothes, papers, a handmill for grinding maize. I felt her touch my hand. "Will you sit beside me on the couch?"