She began to wonder if it would be possible to make her escape before he could pursue the subject further.
And then he spoke, and she knew that she must remain.
"You are very generous," he said, "more generous than I deserve.

Will it help matters at all if I tell you that I would give all I have to be able to forget it too, or to believe that the thing I remember was just one of the wild delusions of my brain ?" His voice was deep and sincere.

In spite of herself she was moved by it.
She came forward to his side.

"The past is past," she said, and gave him her hand.
He took it and held it, looking at her in his straight, inscrutable way.
"True, most gracious!" he said.

"But I haven't quite done with it yet.
Will you hear me a moment longer?
You have of your goodness pardoned my outrageous behaviour, so I make no further allusion to that, except to tell you that I had been tempted to try a native drug which in its effects was worse than the fever pure and simple.