'I re-swore an oath never to reveal myself to thy mother.'
'Oath well sworn,' again he muttered; 'go on.'
'But I saw thee, Pierre; and, more than ever filled my mother toward thy father, Pierre, then upheaved in me. Straightway I knew that if ever I should come to be made known to thee, then thy own generous love would open itself to me.'
'Again thy heart spake true,' he murmured; 'go on—and didst thou re-swear again?'
'No, Pierre; but yes, I did. I swore that thou wert my brother; with love and pride I swore, that young and noble Pierre Glendinning was my brother!'
'And only that?'
'Nothing more, Pierre; not to thee even, did I ever think to reveal myself.'
'How then? thou art revealed to me.'
'Yes; but the great God did it, Pierre—not poor Bell. Listen.
'I felt very dreary here; poor, dear Delly—thou must have heard something of her story—a most sorrowful house, Pierre. Hark! that is her seldom-pausing pacing thou hearest from the floor above. So she keeps ever pacing, pacing, pacing; in her track, all thread-bare, Pierre, is her chamber-rug. Her father will not look upon her; her mother, she hath cursed her to her face. Out of yon chamber, Pierre, Delly hath not stepped, for now four weeks and more; nor ever hath she once laid upon her bed; it was last made up five weeks ago; but paces, paces, paces, all through the night, till after twelve; and then sits vacant in her chair. Often I would go to her to comfort her; but she says, " Nay, nay, nay," to me through the door; says "Nay, nay, nay," and only nay to me, through the bolted door; bolted three weeks ago—when I by cunning arts stole her dead baby from her,
