Curiously enough, the sight touched Hadden, and once or twice he was
shaken by so sharp a pang of remorse at the thought of his share in this
tragedy, that he cast about in his mind seeking a means to unravel the
web of death which he himself had woven. But ever that evil voice was
whispering at his ear. It reminded him that he, the white _Inkoos_, had
been refused by this dusky beauty, and that if he found a way to save
him, within some few hours she would be the wife of the savage gentleman
at her side, the man who had named him Black Heart and who despised
him, the man whom he had meant to murder and who immediately repaid his
treachery by rescuing him from the jaws of the leopard at the risk of
his own life. Moreover, it was a law of Hadden's existence never to deny
himself of anything that he desired if it lay within his power to take
it--a law which had led him always deeper into sin. In other respects,
indeed, it had not carried him far, for in the past he had not desired
much, and he had won little; but this particular flower was to his hand,
and he would pluck it.
Pages:
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87