Page:The Adventures of David Simple (1904).djvu/312

 "I followed him, not knowing whether I trod tm earth or air (for we ran so swiftly that we seemed to fly), till we came to the place where I was to be shocked with a spectacle that surpassed all imagination, and be only convinced of Dumont's fidelity at a time when I was just going to lose him for ever. All the methods we could try to stop the blood proved ineffectual. I could not speak, but sat down by him, dissolved in tears, and almost choked with my swelling grief. "My brother continued to beg forgiveness of the Chevalier, and, in broken accents, told us how Pandolph had raised his jealousy, and by what steps it had been brought to such a height as to deprive him of his reason, and tempt him to an action he would now give the world to recall, and with pleasure sacrifice his own life, could he but prolong his friend's for one hour. Poor Dumont was so weak he could not speak much; but yet he would exert himself to tell me on what account he himself had written the fore-mentioned letter, with the effect my behaviour had on his mind; and then cried out, 'Oh! Isabelle, cherish my memory! And you, my dear Stainville, forgive yourself as heartily as I do. Consider, the appearances of my guilt were so very strong, that it was impossible for you to avoid this fatal jealousy. I am too weak to utter more, although to see you both look on me with such tenderness would make me wish to prolong this moment to eternity!' Here his strength failed him ; and, with his eyes fixed on us, and with the words Stainville—and Isabelle—lingering on his dying lips, he expired in our arms; and left us, for the present, almost in the same condition with himself. But he was for ever past all sense of his misfortunes, whilst returning life brought us back to the remembrance of our miseries. My brother embraced the dead body of his friend, swore he would never part