Well, whatever his torture he knew he would come out better equipped
for the struggle. He had learned something of himself he had so far
never dreamed of in his bitter struggle with the handicap of his
life. He had something to live for now besides the call of his
country--the call of the HEART--the cry of beauty and truth and
reverence.
Angela inspired him with all these. In the three days she ministered
to him she had opened up a vista he had hitherto never known. And
now he had to leave it and face his accusers, and be hectored and
jeered at in the mockery they called "trials." From the Court-House
he would go to the prison and from thence he would be sent back into
the world with the brand of the prison-cell upon him. As the thought
of all this passed through his mind, he never wavered. He would face
it as he had faced trouble all his life, with body knit for the
struggle, and his heart strong for the battle.
And back of it all the yearning that at the end she would be waiting
and watching for his return to the conflict for the great "Cause" to
which he had dedicated his life.
On the morning of the third day Mr. Roche, the resident magistrate,
was sent for by Nathaniel Kingsnorth. Mr. Roche found him firm and
determined, his back to the fireplace, in which a bright fire was
burning, although the month was July.
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