" I
finished with some defiance. I knew that the blood had risen in my
cheeks as I spoke, for some subjects touch me as if I were a woman.
The Englishman was watching me, and I disliked to have him see what I
felt was weakness. But he did not scoff. His own cheeks flushed
somewhat, and he looked off at the water.
"La Salle had more than a great idea," he said meditatively. "He had
great opportunity. He desired to found an empire in the west, did he
not, monsieur? Well, he failed, but, perhaps, that was accident. He
might have succeeded. It is not often in the history of the world that
such an opportunity comes to any person, man or woman. La Salle, at
least, tried to live up to his full stature. Monsieur, how pitiable it
would be, yes, more, how terrible it would be, to have such an
opportunity thrown in your way and know that you were too weak to seize
it."
His voice rose to some earnestness, but I was ashamed of my own
emotion, and so threw pebbles at the water and kept my mood cold. I
suspected that through all this random philosophizing I was being
probed,--probed by an Englishman who ate my rations, and wore a squaw's
dress. I grew angry.
"Who are you?" I demanded roughly.
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