Dodd, in common charity. Don't dash the
bowl from my lips! You have a kindly heart. Think of
my position, remember my unhappy wife."
"You should have thought of her before," said I. "I
have made my offer, and I wish to sleep."
"Is that your last word, sir? Pray consider; pray weigh
both sides: my misery, your own danger. I warn you--I
beseech you; measure it well before you answer," so he
half pleaded, half threatened me, with clasped hands.
"My first word, and my last," said I.
The change upon the man was shocking. In the storm of
anger that now shook him, the lees of his intoxication
rose again to the surface; his face was deformed, his
words insane with fury; his pantomime, excessive in
itself, was distorted by an access of St. Vitus.
"You will perhaps allow me to inform you of my cold
opinion," he began, apparently self-possessed, truly
bursting with rage: "when I am a glorified saint, I
shall see you howling for a drop of water, and exult to
see you. That your last word! Take it in your face,
you spy, you false friend, you fat hypocrite! I defy, I
defy and despise and spit upon you! I'm on the trail,
his trail or yours; I smell blood, I'll follow it on my
hands and knees, I'll starve to follow it! I'll hunt
you down, hunt you, hunt you down! If I were strong,
I'd tear your vitals out, here in this room--tear them
out--I'd tear them out! Damn, damn, damn! You think me
weak! I can bite, bite to the blood, bite you, hurt
you, disgrace you .
Pages:
484
485
486
487
488
489
490
491
492
493
494
495
496
497
498
499
500
501
502
503
504
505
506
507
508