[Dimturiel]

"A clean bed and a cleaner coscience.", Heather had said. A clean bed, that he could obtain easily, especially at this inn. But a cleaner conscience? Now most of all his conscience felt anything but clean. Heather, of course could know nothing of this. But he had recieved so many accusations, even when he deemed himself to be innocent, that he had come to regard almost every speech as an attack. Still, he hid his suspicions, knowing that they were wrong and unjust. He even managed to say:

"Your father is a very wise man, if he thinks thus." But then he stopped. Heather had seemed to become thoughtful when she had spoken of her father. Had he also, unwillingly, touched something that would make Heather feel as he had felt when she had told him about the clean conscience or about the wonderful adventures that he must have had during the journey from Dale?

"I am sorry." he said quickly. "If I am wrong when saying that your father is wise. I should not speak of what I know nothing. As for my journey here, well, Heather, I cannot deny that I did have some adventures, although I would not go as far as too call them wonderful. Not when...not when they have left me so tired."

Not when their devastating consequences weight so heavily upon me, he had wanted to say, but he had checked himself and continued on what he thought to be a much lighter note.