Lennox, with the judge's permission, now took one of the candles from the table, and held it to his face--he still breathed. But in the silence within the room, I perceived that the weather without began to grow gusty and boisterous; I could hear the rain lashing against the wall of the prison, and the blast howled round the roof, and threatened to extinguish the candle. The freshness of the night wind, however, reanimated the sufferer in a wonderful degree; and when I rose, with an intention of closing the shutters, to prevent the rain beating through on his face, as he lay propped up on the poor girl's bosom, fronting the narrow aperture, he had strength enough to ask me, in a low husky voice, "to leave it open, the coolness and moisture revived him." Lennox now spoke--"Mr Adderfang, I have come on purpose to say that I"--his voice faltered, and he leant against the wall for a brief space--"to say that _I forgive you_--ay, as freely as I hope God will forgive me at the last day. Give me your hand, Mr Adderfang, and say you forgive me also for having wounded you." The dying man shrunk from him, and drew his hand back--"No, no, Saunders, you cannot be sincere, you cannot be sincere; you cannot have forgotten _her_ injuries, you cannot have forgiven your own." "Yes," said the poor fellow solemnly, "I have prayed for many a long year that I might be able to forgive you--even _you_; and my prayer has been heard at last. Oh, if you would even at the ninth hour appeal to the same merciful Being, might he not show his mercy to your dying soul?" "I cannot--I cannot pray," said Adderfang, as impetuously as his weakness would let him--"I cannot pray--I have never prayed, Saunders--oh, would to God I had! would that I could redeem but one short week! But it would be of no avail," groaned he, in a low altered tone--"all has been foreordained--I have been the slave of an irrevocable destiny--I could have acted no otherwise than I have done; and if there be a hereafter and a God"---- "If there be!" said I, "Heaven have mercy on you, Mr Adderfang, and turn your heart even now in your extremity."