urn and forget all but that Lucia awaits."

She passed her hand softly over my face, pressed her lips to my
forehead, and then I followed her down from the silent deck on to the
reef, and thence onwards to the canoe.

CHAPTER XV

All that she said to me that night as we returned over the stilly waters
of the lagoon to our companions, I cannot now remember; I only know
that as she sat facing me, and I paddled slowly and dreamily along, I
promised her, dully and mechanically, to tell Lucia that night that I
loved her.

"And she and thee will be happy, very happy, Simi. Her heart went out
to thee from the very first. And children will come to thee, and I shall
see them grow--the boys strong and brave as thou art, and the girls fair
and sweet as Lucia--and yet shalt thou have thy heart's desire, and be
spoken of as a man who did a great deed... a great voyage... and all
that hath been done by the three men of whom thou hast so often thought
will be but as little compared with this voyage of thine. And she so
loves thee, Simi; ah, she so loves thee."

The soft murmur of her voice enthralled, took such possession of me
mentally and physically, that I know not what I answered except that I
said again and again, "Ay, I love her, I love her, and I shall tell her
of my love, and that she, and she alone, is my heart's desire."

How long we were in getting back to the island I cannot tell, but I
do remember that it was quite dark, and both Niabon and myself were
paddling vigorously when we heard Tepi's load hail of welcome, and a
canoe shot up on the beach, and Lucia came towards me with outstretched
hands.

"Jim, oh Jim! I thought you were never coming back," she said.

I folded her in my arms and kissed her. "Lucia, dear, dear Lucia! Will
you be my wife? For I love you," and then, scarcely knowing what I
was doing, I strained her almost savagely to my bosom, and kissed her
upturned face again and again.

"Jim, dear, dear Jim," and her soft arms were around my neck, "and I
love you too! I have loved you almost from the day you first came to
Taritai, and Niabon has told me that one day you would tell me that you
loved me... that some day you would speak... Jim dearest, bend down; you
are so tall, and I am so little; ah, Jim, I am so little, but my heart,
dear, is so big with love for you, that I feel that I could take _you_
in my arms, and kiss you as you now kiss me. Jim, dear, I never, never
knew what love meant