that in the Bible, now?'

'Mary,' I said solemnly, 'you must not laugh at me just now. God
knows I am in no heart for laughing. If we could get your father
with us, it would be best; but with him or without him, I want you
far away from here, my girl; for your own sake, and for mine, ay,
and for your father's too, I want you far - far away from here. I
came with other thoughts; I came here as a man comes home; now it
is all changed, and I have no desire nor hope but to flee - for
that's the word - flee, like a bird out of the fowler's snare, from
this accursed island.'

She had stopped her work by this time.

'And do you think, now,' said she, 'do you think, now, I have
neither eyes nor ears? Do ye think I havenae broken my heart to
have these braws (as he calls them, God forgive him!) thrown into
the sea? Do ye think I have lived with him, day in, day out, and
not seen what you saw in an hour or two? No,' she said, 'I know
there's wrong in it; what wrong, I neither know nor want to know.
There was never an ill thing made better by meddling, that I could
hear of. But, my lad, you must never ask me to leave my father.
While the breath is in his body, I'll be with him. And he's not
long for here, either: that I can tell you, Charlie - he's not long
for here. The mark is on his brow; and better so - maybe better
so.'

I was a while silent, not knowing what to say; and when I roused my
head at last to speak, she got before me.