Bressant

"Don't say that!" exclaimed the boy, earnestly and hopefully. "God

teaches us, you know, not to be in despair, because without hope--hope

of becoming better--we can't be really repentant."

"I'm not repentant, certainly--I have no hope," rejoined Bressant. But,

even as he spoke the words, he was conscious of that within him which

contradicted them. Either the influence of the boy's gentle and trustful

spirit, or a new opening of his own inward eyes, had borne in upon him a

vision of hitherto unconsidered possibilities.

The boy seemed to read his thoughts. "You do not believe all you say,"

observed he. "Remember, it was because you repented of your dishonest

purposes toward Abbie, and felt that you had wronged your better self

with Cornelia, that you first resolved to give up Sophie, as being no

longer worthy of her, and that proved that your love for her at least

was noble and unselfish."

"But afterward--afterward I became worse than ever!" exclaimed Bressant,

who would not dare to entertain a hope until the full depth of his sin

had been brought forward for the pure and clear-sighted eyes of his

companion to look upon and judge. "When I found out my shameful

secret--when I learned what a thing I was, even with no sin of my own to

drag me down--I didn't care what crime I committed! A kind of evil

intelligence seemed to come to me. I saw that Cornelia loved me, and

that I had her in my power, so I went back to get her, to take her with

me to Europe. There was no repentance in that!"

"It would have been a terrible sin!" said the boy, with a slight

shudder. "But God prevented you from committing it."

"But I'm a thief still, and a coward, for I sneaked away in the night,

fearing to meet Sophie's eyes, and afraid to tell the professor what I

was and what I had done. I left all the burden of my sins to be borne by

women and an infirm old man, and I am going, with a stolen fortune, to

forget I ever had a heart or a soul."

"Are you going, and do you think you can forget?" asked the boy, with a

smile.

"Don't you give me up yet?" returned Bressant, trembling. "What is left

for me?"

"Why, every thing is left for you!" exclaimed the boy, his smile

brightening in his eyes. "You seem to forget that you haven't gone off

with any stolen money yet! You must begin at the next station, and

devote your whole life--no less will answer--to redeeming yourself. Only

be sure not to delay, and not to hesitate."

Bressant looked at his companion, and thought there was something divine

and unearthly almost in his manner, and especially in the light that

came from his gray eyes.