The murderer, meanwhile,
with the utmost composure wiped his bloody knife in the coat of the man
whom he had slain. Boldly and coolly then, he broke the silence which
was certainly a painful one to Munro if not to himself.
"We shall hear no more of his insolence. I owed him a debt. It is paid.
If fools will be in the way of danger, they must take the consequences."
The landlord only groaned.
The murderer laughed.
"It is your luck," he said, "always to groan with devout feeling, when
you have _done_ the work of the devil! You may spare your groans, if
they are designed for repentance. They are always too late!"
"It is a sad truth, though the devil said it."
"Well, rouse up, and let's be moving. So far, our ride has been for
nothing. We must leave this carrion to the vultures. What next? Will it
be of any use to pursue this boy again to-night? What say you? We must
pursue and silence him of course; but we have pushed the brutes already
sufficiently to-night. They would be of little service to-night, in a
longer chase.
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