--Is SHE your wife? are you the
father of her child?
Sandy (sinking upon his knees before her, and covering his face
with his hands). I am!
Miss Mary. Enough! (Taking flower from her bosom.) Here, I give
you back the flower you gave me this morning. It has faded and
died here upon my breast. But I shall replace it with your
foundling,--the child of that woman, born like that flower in the
snow! And I go now, Sandy, and leave behind me, as you said this
morning, the snow and rocks in which it bloomed. Good-by!
Farewell, farewell--forever! (Goes toward schoolhouse as--
Enter COL. STARBOTTLE.
Miss Mary (to STARBOTTLE). You are here in season, sir. You must
have come for an answer to your question. You must first give me
one to mine. Who is this man (pointing to SANDY), the man you met
upon the rocks this morning?
Col. Starbottle. Ahem! I am--er--now fully prepared and
responsible, I may say, miss--er--personally responsible, to answer
that question. When you asked it this morning, the ordinary
courtesy of the--er--code of honor threw a--er--cloak around the--
er--antecedents of the--er--man whom I had--er--elected by a demand
for personal satisfaction, to the equality of myself, an--er--
gentleman! That--er--cloak is now removed. I have waited six
hours for an apology or a--er--reply to my demand. I am now free
to confess that the--er--person you allude to was first known by
me, three months ago, as an inebriated menial,--a groom in the
household of my friend Don Jose Castro,--by the--er--simple name of
"Diego.
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