Then, with a few low-murmured words that thrilled her in their utterance, and echoed in her memory for years to come, he resigned her to the Austrian Grand Duke who was her next claimant, and left her silently--forever.
Less heroism has often proclaimed itself, with blatant trumpet to the world--a martyrdom.
He looked back once as he passed from the ballroom--back to the sea of colors, to the glitter of light, to the moving hues, amid which the sound of the laughing, intoxicating music seemed to float; to the glisten of the jewels and the gold and the silver--to the scene, in a word, of the life that would be his no more.

He looked back in a long, lingering look, such as a man may give the gladness of the earth before the gates of a prison close on him; then he went out once more into the night, threw the domino and the mask back again into the carriage, and took his way, alone.
He passed along till he had gained the shadow of a by-street, by a sheer unconscious instinct; then he paused, and looked round him--what could he do?
He wondered vaguely if he were not dreaming; the air seemed to reel about him, and the earth to rock; the very force of control he had sustained made the reaction stronger; he began to feel blind and stupefied.

How could he escape?
The railway station would be guarded by those on the watch for him; he had but a few pounds in his pocket, hastily slipped in as he had won them, "money-down," at ecarte that day; all avenues of escape were closed to him, and he knew that his limbs would refuse to carry him with any kind of speed farther.

He had only the short, precious hours remaining of the night in which to make good his flight--and flight he must take to save those for whom he had elected to sacrifice his life.

Yet how?
and where?
A hurried, noiseless footfall came after him; Rake's voice came breathless on his ear, while the man's hand went up in the unforgotten soldier's salute-- "Sir! no words.