"Can I not live my own life as you
have lived yours? The path you would have wished me to follow has been
closed to me by no fault of mine."
"You never told me," muttered Almayer.
"You never asked me," she answered, "and I thought you were like the
others and did not care. I bore the memory of my humiliation alone, and
why should I tell you that it came to me because I am your daughter? I
knew you could not avenge me."
"And yet I was thinking of that only," interrupted Almayer, "and I wanted
to give you years of happiness for the short day of your suffering. I
only knew of one way."
"Ah! but it was not my way!" she replied. "Could you give me happiness
without life? Life!" she repeated with sudden energy that sent the word
ringing over the sea. "Life that means power and love," she added in a
low voice.
"That!" said Almayer, pointing his finger at Dain standing close by and
looking at them in curious wonder.
"Yes, that!" she replied, looking her father full in the face and
noticing for the first time with a slight gasp of fear the unnatural
rigidity of his features.
"I would have rather strangled you with my own hands," said Almayer, in
an expressionless voice which was such a contrast to the desperate
bitterness of his feelings that it surprised even himself.
Pages:
236
237
238
239
240
241
242
243
244
245
246
247
248
249
250
251
252
253
254
255
256
257
258
259
260