Inside of the Cup, the — Volume 04 by Winston Churchill
page 81 of 84 (96%)
page 81 of 84 (96%)
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confessed it. Was not the twist ingrained? And if so, where was the
salvation he had preached? There was good in her still,--but what was "good"? . . . He took no account of his profound compassion. What comfort could he give her, what hope could he hold out that the twist, now gnarled and knotted, might be removed, that she might gain peace of soul and body and the "happiness" of which he had talked with Alison Parr? . . . He raised his eyes, to discover that the woman's were fixed upon him, questioningly. "I suppose I was a fool to tell you," she said, with a shade of her old bitterness; "it can't do any good." Her next remark was startlingly astute. "You've found out for yourself, I guess, that all this talk about heaven and hell and repentance don't amount to anything. Hell couldn't be any worse than I've been through, no matter how hot it is. And heaven!" She laughed, burst into tears, and quickly dried them. "You know the man I've been talking about, that bought me off. I didn't intend to tell you, but I see you can't help knowing--Eldon Parr. I don't say he didn't do right from his way of looking at things,--but say, it wasn't exactly Christian, was it?" "No," he said, "it wasn't." He bowed his head, and presently, when he raised it again, he caught something in her look that puzzled and disturbed him--an element of adoration. "You're white through and through," she said, slowly and distinctly. And he knew not how to protest. "I'll tell you something," she went on, as one who has made a discovery. |
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