"Dave! Dave!" she cried. "I will not give you up! I will not give you
up! If you do not wish to come, we will stay. I will stay with you. The
world is less to me than are you. I will be a Northland wife to you. I
will cook your food, feed your dogs, break trail for you, lift a paddle
with you. I can do it. Believe me, I am strong."
Nor did he doubt it, looking upon her and holding her off from him; but
his face had grown stern and gray, and the warmth had died out of his
eyes.
"I will pay off Pierre and the boatmen, and let them go. And I will stay
with you, priest or no priest, minister or no minister; go with you, now,
anywhere! Dave! Dave! Listen to me! You say I did you wrong in the
past--and I did--let me make up for it, let me atone. If I did not
rightly measure love before, let me show that I can now."
She sank to the floor and threw her arms about his knees, sobbing. "And
you _do_ care for me. You _do_ care for me. Think! The long years I
have waited, suffered! You can never know!" He stooped and raised her
to her feet.
"Listen," he commanded, opening the door and lifting her bodily outside.
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