'Or _seemed_ to,' says she--'for a time: as when a stleam flows north a little, and the sea is to the south: but it is bound for the sea all the time, and will turn again. Destiny never could, and cannot yet, be judged, for it is not finished: and our lace should follow blindly whither it points, sure that thlough many curves it leads the world to our God.' 'Our God indeed!' I cried, getting very excited: 'girl! you talk speciously, but falsely! whence have you these thoughts in that head of yours? Girl! you talk of "our race"! But there are only two of us left? Are you talking _at_ me, Leda? Do not _I_ follow Destiny?' 'You?' she sighed, with down-bent face: 'ah, poor me!' 'What should I do if I followed it?' said I, with a crazy curiosity. Her face hung lower, paler, in trouble: and she said: 'You would come now and sit near me here. You would not be there where you are. You would be always and for ever near me....' My good God! I felt my face redden. 'Oh, I could not _tell_ you...!' I cried: 'you talk the most disastrous...! you lack all responsibility...! Never, never...!' Her face now was covered with her left hand, her right on the tiller: and bitingly she said, with a touch of venom: 'I could _make_ you come--_now_, if I chose: but I will not: I will wait upon my God....' '_Make_ me!' I cried: 'Leda! How make me?' 'I could cly before you, as I cly often and often ... in seclet ... for my childlen....' '_You_ cry in secret? This is news--' 'Yes, yes, I cly. Is not the burden of the world heavy upon me, too? and the work I have to do _vely, vely_ gleat? And often and often I cly in seclet, thinking of it: and I could cly now if I chose, for you love your little girl so much, that you could not lesist me one minute....' Now I saw the push and tortion and trembling of her poor little under-lip, boding tears: and at once a flame was in me which was altogether beyond control; and crying out: 'why, my poor dear,' I found myself in the act of rushing through the staggering boat to take her to me. Mid-way, however, I was saved: a whisper, intense as lightning, arrested me: 'Forward is no escape, nor backward, but _sideward_ there may be a way!' And at a sudden impulse, before I knew what I was doing, I was in the water swimming. The smaller of the islands was two hundred yards away, and thither I swam, rested some minutes, and thence to the Castle. I did not once look behind me. * * * * *