Roland simply shuddered as he looked upon him; and he shuddered too
when he reflected that the monster had set his heart to turning him
into a highwayman.
The gang lighted their pipes when the supper was ended, and the
girls cleared the board. Poor Roland, with the cold heavy hand of
Despair squeezing his heart, walked a few paces away from the camp
fire, and sat upon a tree-bole. In a little while the fire had grown
so low that no light came from it save the scarlet glow from the
smouldering embers. A deep gloom was everywhere; but it was not
darker than the shadow that had fallen upon his life. Suddenly the
gates of the dusk seemed to open, and a flood of silvery light fell
upon the world. Looking, he perceived that the clouds were breaking,
and through a rift in the pall the moonlight flood had been sluiced
upon the darksome swamp. With the light came a stirring of hope at
his heart; and for a minute he surrendered himself to the sweet
thought that a time might come when he, with honour untarnished,
could issue from the toils, and take his place in that world from
which his crime had banished him.
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