"Thy tale," he said, "is one of sorrow and suffering. Thou didst
violate thy duty, and art punished. No wrong shall escape the avenger.
As it is written, 'Vengeance is mine, I will repay, saith the Lord.'
But it is also written, 'He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger,
and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil.' Thou art after
all but an instrument in the hand of One mighty to do. Even out of
crime He works out the purposes of his will. Thou knowest not from
what sin and sorrow an early death may be the refuge. Commit thyself
to the hands of the Lord, nor grieve as one without hope. Thy brother
liveth, and thou shalt yet behold him."

"I know he lives, and at the Judgment shall I behold him," said
Armstrong, shuddering, "to upbraid me with his murder."

"Not to upbraid, but to forgive, and to imprint upon thy brow the seal
of reconciliation, as I now, by this token, vow to thee an everlasting
love." So saying, Holden bent down, and his lips touched the forehead
of Armstrong.

We do not know that we ought to be surprised at anything in the
conduct of this extraordinary man. The principles by which he
regulated himself, if he had any that were fixed and determinate, and
was not impelled to his actions by the impulse of the moment, were so
different from those of other men, that it is difficult to reduce them
to the same standard, or, indeed, to assign them to any standard. Be
it as it may, so accustomed was Mr. Armstrong to his ways, that so
singular a thing did not impress him as strange. He only looked up
with eyes dimmed with tears, and, in broken accents, thanked the
Solitary.