"You know the rest," continued Charlotte. "How I pretended to be a traitor to my cause.--God will forgive me," she added, "for we owe no truth to tyrants.--How I informed Marat of the names of the refugee deputies at Caen who were organizing the Federalist movement. 'Ah!' he exclaimed, his irresistible thirst for blood rekindled at the thought of these new victims, 'they shall be guillotined within a week!' Guillotined!" repeated Charlotte, rising to her feet. "My friends! The patriots of Caen!"
She turned and saw Hauer's eye fixed upon her as though awaiting the end of the story. "And then?" he asked.
There was silence for a short space, broken only by the quick breathing of the girl.
"I realized nothing," she interrupted, "save that I was carrying out my unalterable purpose. I felt no more remorse than if I were treading on the head of some loathsome snake. The hideousness of Marat's appearance, the squalor of his surroundings, the infamy of his character, all these urged me on to accomplish the deed I had planned. And in my heart a voice kept whispering that the end justified the means."
"Oh, I am glad I killed him! I have no regrets, none. I was ready, I am ready now, to pay the penalty." She paused, "Ah, I weary you with all this," she said. "But I have had no one to speak to, all these days; nobody seems to understand----"
"_I_ understand," said Hauer with feeling.
"Yes, I believe you do, and I thank you for it." She sat at the table where the artist was putting the finishing touches to his picture.
"I had hoped that an old friend of mine," she added, "one on whose loyalty I relied implicitly, would have appeared to defend me at the trial. I wrote and asked him. But he never came. He did not even trouble to reply. Well," she sighed, "I am no poorer for the loss of such a friend."
Hauer laid down his brushes, rose, and stood before her. His voice was unsteady, and his face had grown pale.
"Others may fail you," he exclaimed, "but you know that I will always stand by you, though the whole world turn against you."
He took both her hands in one of his, and, looking into her eyes, saw down to the very depths of her pure soul. A rush of memories flooded his brain as he gazed at this woman whose life was to close so soon.