"Don't you push him, Passon! Let him speak or not, jest as he's a mind
to. Let God A'mighty do it His way! Don't _you_ do it!"

Darkness settled in the room, and the heavenly hunter's-moon rose and
dispelled it.

"O God! can I?" broke forth the young man. "O God! if I tell, I'll go
through with it. I will, so help me!"

The moving patterns of the vine at the window began to etch themselves
waveringly on the floor. Dilly bent, and traced the outline of a leaf
with her finger.

"I'll tell!" cried Elvin, in a voice exultant over the prospect of
freedom. "I'll tell it all. I wanted money. The girl I meant to have
was goin' with somebody else, an' I'd got to scrape together some
money, quick. I burnt down my house an' barn. I got the insurance
money. I sent some of it out West, to put into that furniture business,
an' Dan Forbes has made way with it. I only kept enough to take Rosa
an' me out there. I'll give up that, an' go to jail; an' if the Lord
spares my life, when I come out I'll pay it back, principal an'
int'rest."

Molly gave one little moan, and buried her face in her hands. The
parson and Dilly rose, by one impulse, and went forward to Elvin, who
sat upright, trembling from excitement past. Dilly reached him first.
She put both her hands on his forehead, and smoothed back his hair.

"Dear heart," she said, in a voice thrilled through by music,--"dear
heart! I was abroad that night, watchin' the stars, an' I see it all. I