"It does; it does; God knows it does, for all that," insisted Ralph.
"But to think of these poor souls thrown out into the road like
cattle. Cattle? To cattle they would be merciful!--thrown out into the
road to lie and die and rot!"
"Have they been outlawed--these men?" said Sim.
"Damnation!" cried Ralph, as though at Sim's ignorant word a new and
terrible thought had flashed upon his mind and wounded him like a
dagger.
Then they rode long in silence.
Away they went, mile after mile, without rest and without pause,
through dales and over uplands, past meres and across rivers, and
still with the gathering blackness overhead.
What force of doom was spurring them on in this race against Life? It
was the depth of a Cumbrian winter, and the days were short. Clearly
they would never reach Penrith to-night. The delay at Hollowbank and
the shortened twilight before a coming snowstorm must curtail their
journey. They agreed to put up for the night at the inn at Askham.
As they approached that house of entertainment they observed that the
coach which had left Carlisle that morning was in the act of drawing
up at the door.
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