Все приключения Шерлока Холмса. Сборник. Уровень 2

He took her two hands in his, and gazed tenderly down into her face; “I won’t ask you to come with me now, but will you be ready to come when I am here again?”

“And when will that be?” she asked.

“A couple of months. I will come back, my darling.”

“And how about father?” she asked.

“He will give his consent, if the mines work all right. And they will, for sure.”

“Oh, well; of course,” she whispered.

“Thank God!” he said hoarsely and kissed her. “So good-bye, my darling-good-bye.

In two months you will see me.”

Lucy stood at the gate. She was gazing after him until he vanished from her sight. Then she walked back into the house, the happiest girl in all Utah.

Chapter III

John Ferrier Talks with the Prophet

Three weeks passed. John Ferrier was sad when he thought of the young man’s return, and of the loss of his child. He did not want to allow his daughter to wed a Mormon. Such a marriage he regarded as no marriage at all, but as a shame and a disgrace.

But he was silent: to express an unorthodox opinion was dangerous in those days in the Land of the Saints.

Its invisibility, and the mystery made this religious organization terrible. It was omniscient and omnipotent. The man who said something against the Church vanished away. A rash word or a hasty act led to annihilation.

The Mormons needed women. Polygamy without a female population was a barren doctrine. Strange rumours came-rumours of murdered immigrants.

Fresh women appeared in the harems of the Elders-women with the traces of an unextinguishable horror upon their faces. None knew who belonged to this ruthless society. The names of the participators in the deeds of blood and

violence were secret. Hence every man feared his neighbour.

One fine morning, John Ferrier heard the click of the latch. He looked through the window and saw a stout, sandy-haired, middle-aged man. It was Brigham Young himself.

Ferrier ran to the door to greet the Mormon chief.

Young, however, received his salutations coldly, and followed him with a stern face into the sitting-room.

“Brother Ferrier,” he said, “the true believers are good friends to you. We picked you up when you were starving in the desert, we shared our food with you, led you to the Chosen Valley, gave you a goodly share of land, and allowed you to become rich under our protection. Is not this so?”

“It is so,” answered John Ferrier.