“Where are you going with your serious charge?” said Maurice, suddenly formidable. “Couldn’t say.” He looked back at Maurice, whose coloring stood out against the stone heroes, perfect but bloodless, who had never known such bewilderment or infamy as Alec did now. He realized what a fool he’d been to imagine this splendid man could care for him, and more of a fool to plot to force him to do so. “Don’t you worry—I’ll never harm you now, you’ve too much pluck.”
