Janet Gordon lifted her hands and struck them together in her agony of remembrance . `` When I told father he only said , oh , so gently , '' ` Poor lass , I was too hard on her . She isna to blame . But I canna go to meet her mother till our little lass has forgie 'n me for the name I called her . Thomas , help me up . Since she winna come to me I must e ` en go to her . ' `` There was no crossing him -- we saw that . He got up from his deathbed and Thomas helped him out into the hall and up the stair . I walked behind with the candle . Oh , Master , I 'll never forget it -- the awful shadows and the storm wind wailing outside , and father 's gasping breath . But we got him to Margaret 's room and he stood before her , trembling , with his white hairs falling about his sunken face . And he prayed Margaret to forgive him -- to forgive him and speak just one word to him before he went to meet her mother . Master '' -- Janet 's voice rose almost to a shriek -- `` she would not -- she would not ! And yet she WANTED to speak -- afterwards she confessed to me that she wanted to speak . But her stubbornness would n't let her . It was like some evil power that had gripped hold of her and would n't let go . Father might as well have pleaded with a graven image . Oh , it was hard and dreadful ! She saw her father die and she never spoke the word he prayed for to him . THAT was her sin , Master , -- and for that sin the curse fell on her unborn child .
When father understood XXXXX she would not speak he closed his eyes and was like to have fallen if Thomas had not caught him . ''
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