He submitted and after much suffering recovered , grateful for life , though he could fight no more . The other rebelled , would listen to no advice , and having delayed too long , died a lingering death , bitterly regretting his folly when it was too late . ` Now , as all stories should have a little moral , let me tell you mine , ' added the lady , with a smile , as she looked at the row of young men before her , sadly wondering what brought them there . ` This is a hospital for soldiers wounded in life 's battle ; here are sick souls , weak wills , insane passions , blind consciences , all the ills that come from broken laws , bringing their inevitable pain and punishment with them , There is hope and help for every one , for God 's mercy is infinite and man 's charity is great ; but penitence and submission must come before the cure is possible . Pay the forfeit manfully , for it is just ; but from the suffering and shame wring new strength for a nobler life . The scar will remain , but it is better for a man to lose both arms than his soul ; and these hard years , instead of being lost , may be made the most precious of your lives , if they teach you to rule yourselves . O friends , try to outlive the bitter past , to wash the sin away , and begin anew . If not for your own sakes , for that of the dear mothers , wives , and children , who wait and hope so patiently for you . Remember them , and do not let them love and long in vain . And if there be any here so forlorn that they have no friend to care for them , never forget the Father whose arms are always open to receive , forgive , and comfort His prodigal sons , even at the eleventh hour . ' There the little sermon ended ; but the preacher of it felt that her few hearty words had not been uttered in vain , for one boy 's head was down , and several faces wore the softened look which told that a tender memory was touched . Dan was forced to set his lips to keep them steady , and drop his eyes to hide the sudden dew that dimmed them when waiting , hoping friends were spoken of . He was glad to be alone in his cell again , and sat thinking deeply , instead of trying to forget himself in sleep . It seemed as if those words were just what he needed to show him where he stood and how fateful the next few days might be to him . Should he join the ` bad lot ' , and perhaps add another crime to the one already committed , lengthen the sentence already so terrible to bear , deliberately turn his back on all that was good , and mar the future that might yet be redeemed ? Or should he , like the wiser man in the story , submit , bear the just punishment , try to be better for it ; and though the scar would remain , it might serve as a reminder of a battle not wholly lost , since he had saved his soul though innocence was gone ? Then he would dare go home , perhaps , confess , and find fresh strength in the pity and consolation of those who never gave him up . Good and evil fought for Dan that night as did the angel and the devil for Sintram , and it was hard to tell whether lawless nature or loving heart would conquer . Remorse and resentment , shame and sorrow , pride and passion , made a battle-field of that narrow cell , and the poor fellow felt as if he had fiercer enemies to fight now than any he had met in all his wanderings . A little thing turned the scale , as it so often does in these mysterious hearts of ours , and a touch of sympathy helped Dan decide the course which would bless or ban his life .
In the dark hour before the dawn , as he lay wakeful on his bed , a ray of light shone through the bars , the bolts turned softly , and a XXXXX came in .
Remorse eyes faces lives man nature punishment sorrow soul words