Blood From a Stone (38 page)

O
f
course,
he never
f
oo
l
ed h
i
m
se
l
f
t
hat
she cou
l
d
e
v
er be
m
ore
t
han  one
of
m
any
da
lli
ances, 
f
or
he
cou
l
d
never
m
arry
one
of
such
l
ow s
t
a
ti
on…nor
w
ou
l
d
he
w
ant
t
o
s
i
nce
he
w
ou
l
d
never
se
ttl
e
f
or
be
i
ng
f
a
it
h
f
ul
t
o
one
w
o
m
an.
T
hat
w
as out
of
t
he
ques
ti
on.
B
ut
dear
G
od,
she
w
as
i
n
sane
l
y
beau
tif
ul as
h
i
s
l
o
i
ns
very
o
ft
en
re
m
i
nded
h
i
m
.
N
ot
on
l
y
t
ha
t
, she
w
as un
t
ouched.
H
e
burned
f
or
her
and
t
hought
he
w
ou
l
d
s
ure
l
y
l
ose h
i
s
m
i
nd
i
f
he cou
l
dn
’
t
have her
j
ust
once!

“
Sa
m
son!
A
re
you
even
li
s
t
en
i
ng
t
o
m
e?”
S
he
s
t
ood
l
ook
i
ng
at
h
i
m
w
it
h
her
hands
on
her
h
i
ps.

             
“
Y
ou
know
as
w
e
l
l
as
I
do
t
hat
w
e
can never
be
t
oge
t
her.
A
nd I
can
not
g
i
ve
m
yse
l
f
t
o
you
un
l
ess
w
e
are
m
a
r
r
i
ed
and
you
beco
m
e
one
of
m
y peop
l
e.
Y
our
f
a
m
il
y
w
ou
l
d never per
m
i
t
it
.”

             
H
e
w
as
j
arred
back
t
o
t
he
m
o
m
ent
and
rea
li
zed
he

needed
t
o
co
m
e
up
w
it
h
so
m
e
t
h
i
ng
good
i
f
he
w
as
f
i
na
ll
y go
i
ng
t
o
w
oo her
i
n
t
o h
i
s
bed.

“
W
e
ll
, perhaps
I
care
no
t
h
i
ng
f
or
w
hat
m
y
f
a
m
il
y
w
an
t
s
f
or
m
e.
W
hat
i
f
I
on
l
y
w
ant
you?”
H
e
s
t
ared at
her
l
ong and hard.

O
ver
ti
m
e,
he
’
d
t
r
i
ed every
t
h
i
ng e
l
se and
f
a
il
ed… except
t
he
do
w
nr
i
ght
li
e
of
pro
m
i
s
i
ng
t
o
l
eave
h
i
s
f
a
m
il
y
and convert
t
o
w
ha
t
ever
f
oo
li
sh be
li
e
f
s
her
clan
w
ou
l
d de
m
and.
L
y
i
ng
had
never
bo
t
hered
h
i
m be
f
ore,
so
w
hy
shou
l
d
i
t no
w
?
Y
es,
she
had been a
f
r
i
end, and she
w
as
s
w
eet
and
t
rus
t
i
ng…but
h
i
s
body
w
as
speak
i
ng
m
uch
l
ouder
t
han
h
i
s
m
i
nd
r
i
ght
no
w
,
so
he pushed a
w
ay
any
small twinge of
gu
il
t
t
hat
w
as
t
ry
i
ng despera
t
e
l
y
t
o
sur
f
ace.
D
an
i
a
l
ooked
at
h
i
m
w
it
h
p
l
ead
i
ng eyes.

“P
l
ease
do
not
say
such
t
h
i
ngs
t
o
m
e
u
n
l
ess
you
t
ru
l
y
m
ean
t
he
m
,
because
I
l
ove
you,
Sa
m
son.
I
do.
A
nd
a
l
t
hough
t
he
C
hurch
has
w
orked
very
hard
t
o
get
r
i
d
of
us,
you
know
m
y
m
a
m
a
s
til
l
f
o
ll
o
w
s
t
he
o
l
d
w
ays…
t
he
pagan
w
ays
,
and
I
m
ust
t
ake
her
p
l
ace
so
m
eday. I
cannot
do so u
n
l
ess I
re
m
a
i
n pure
or
m
arry
one
of
her
choos
i
ng...one
w
ho has
passed our sacred
r
it
es.
W
ou
l
d
you
be
w
illi
ng
t
o
g
i
ve
up
t
h
i
s
lif
e
and do
t
ha
t
?”
She
s
i
ghed.
“
Y
ou
know
as
w
e
l
l
as
I
t
hat
you
can
not and
w
ou
l
d no
t
.
T
h
i
s s
i
m
p
l
y
cannot
be.”